


Your Majesty

by orphan_account



Category: Naruto
Genre: Adventure, F/M, Fantasy, Fight Scenes, Romance, action adventure, some smut eventually
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-30
Updated: 2017-02-09
Packaged: 2018-09-13 07:06:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 52
Words: 190,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9111853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: After reuniting with the boy who saved her so many years ago, new threats appear. Her father's, sister's, and even her own life could be at stake. As a member of the Military it is Naruto's job to protect her, but he may end up going above and beyond that. THIS STORY IS COMPLETE





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> (This work is also on fanfiction, im just publishing it to both of them right now)  
> Oh jeez, I haven’t written anything in a looong time, but I’ve been thinking about this story for a long time, how I wanted it to go, what characters were who, things like that. Bad guys will still be bad guys, good guys will still be good. Some character’s will have different roles and relationships, but nothing toooo drastic.  
> I also don’t know what time period this is set it. I just know there’s castles and royalty and swords and horses. Medieval but not really?  
> Anyway, get ready for a long story, like... two or three arcs. So sit back, enjoy, and follow for more!

What was happening?

 

She felt like she couldn’t breathe, everything was so stuffy. No light, so sense of direction, and no comfort. The only thing she knew was that she was moving, but not by her own action. Her surroundings were harsh, and scratched her with every movement that was made. The stench around her smelled like dirty water, mold, and ash.

Princess Hinata didn’t know how she got into this mess.

She racked her brain, trying to think of what events had transpired to lead her into this, but the only things she could remember were guards yelling and her turning to run, as she was told to do. The rest… she just couldn’t wrap her seven year old head around.

She wanted to cry, she wanted her bed, her father, sister, and especially her mother- but she stayed silent. She knew not to make a sound to alert them she was awake, as she was taught. That didn’t make the trek through the cold January night any easier.

After what felt like hours, she felt that they were moving anymore, and whoever was carrying her dropped whatever they were carrying her in on the cold, snow covered ground. She already could feel the snow melting and soaking into the cloth around her.

“So you actually did it?”

Hinata’s eyes widened. This was the first voice she had heard since she was told to run. It was low, grainy, and demanding. It’s like she could feel his words sinking into the surroundings. The voice seemed to have a sense of age with it as well, almost like wisdom.

“Well of course, a reward that high is too much to just let slide, especially for a little girl.” Another one spoke. Hinata could only assume this was the voice that carried her for who knows how far. That voice seemed more young and alone.

“Well, open the bag up, I can’t just give you the money without verification.” The man demanded. Hinata could hear the crunches of his feet in the snow walking towards her.

“Alright, I’m doing it, you can calm down.” The younger one replied.

Hinata immediately closed her eyes, and pretended to be passed out. She felt him move the bag around, trying to find the opening. She finally felt the cool, fresh air hit her. It was so tempting to take a deep breath and let it fill her lungs, but she knew she couldn’t.

“See, there she is, all in one piece, and still alive, like you wanted.” The young man huffed to the older one. “Now you can give me my money.”

Hinata thought while the transaction above her transpired. He wanted her alive, so would that mean they wouldn’t kill her if she started resisting? Then again, what could she do against the two men, probably twice her size? She was only seven and would just end up knocked out again.

“What are you all doing?”

This voice. Hinata would remember it for the rest of her life after tonight. It was a boy’s voice, very young.

“Wha- who are you?” The men said in unison. She could hear them taking steps towards the child.

“Me? I live over there, so I want to know what you two are doing near my house!” He yelled at them. The voice seemed too confident for the situation Hinata felt. Then again, the boy had no idea what he just walked into.

“You brat, you just need to be on your way, and forget you ever saw anything her tonight, you got that? Or do we have to beat it into you?” The older man said, getting closer and closer to the boy. The younger one right behind him. Their footsteps echoed through the alleyway.

Hinata finally opened her eyes to take in her surroundings, trying to only move her head. She could see the brick walls leading into the sky, with the stars and clouds above. She had no idea about the moon. She could see the two figures off in a distance and assumed they were the two men. One was shorter, almost with a limp. The other was taller and seemed rather skinny. She couldn’t see the boy, as the figures covered him up. She could hear water, but she couldn’t see it.

“N-no! This is my home, and you two look like you’re doing some mysterious stuff around here, and I don’t want that!” They Boy yelled, a bit more shaken now after the threat.

“You dumb kid, keep your voice down.” The younger one said.

“I’ll speak how I want! You two are the ones in front of my home anyway. What’s in the bag over there? You two havin’ that bag makes you really suspicious!” The child said, pointing off in the direction of the bag with Hinata in it.

“You dumb brat, mind your own business!” The younger one said, and Hinata heard a punch hit someone, and the kid let out a grunt.

_“He knows I’m here…”_ she thought. And she thought some more. Then, she decided to do something.

She coughed, then she moved a bit.

“H-hey!” The kid responded with, “You have someone in that ba-“ His statement was cut off with a kick, then another kick. Soon if seemed like a full on beating was happening. She heard the grunts, the coughs, and the wheezes.

Hinata could hear someone running towards her, and she closed her eyes again. The older man started tying her up again hurriedly. He stopped for a moment to cough before he slung her over his back. She slammed into his body, and it felt so solid she swore it was made of metal.

“H-hey! What about my money!” The young one asked as he stopped beating the boy on the ground.

“BOTH OF YOU STOP!” two men yelled from the entrance of the alleyway. Both men seemed to completely freeze at the sound of their voices. The older man’s breathing became more rapid the longer he stood there. Hinata heard the two new men approach closer.

“Sir, I need you to lower that bag to the ground. If what we are searching for isn’t in it, you are welcome to be on your way.” One of them said.

The old man didn’t move. He stood as still as an oak in this one moment. The younger one started walking towards the guards.

“Listen, I’m sure you two mean wel-“ The younger man started.

“Sir, I need you to do as you are told. And you back there better not think of moving.” The man said again. The younger man stopped in his tracks.

Hinata was so tempted to speak, but she didn’t know who these men were trying to take her away from the older man.

“And what is it… that you are looking for?” The older man asked, turning his head slightly behind him to view the two men.

“Under decree 47 of the Royal Military, under a state of emergency I am not obligated to release any details.” The man said, grabbing towards his waist.

“Oh? A state of emergency? I didn’t know anything had happened…” The man said in a condescending tone, turning his head towards the younger man further down the alley. Then the older man reached for his waist as well.

Hinata knew the Royal Military was on her side, she knew they would help her. So she did what anyone would do in the situation.

She started yelling. Yelling and kicking and pushing herself off of the older man’s back. She promised herself she would not stop screaming until she was out of the older man’s hands.

“THEY HAVE HER!” The Soldier yelled as they both drew swords.

Hinata was still screaming.

“Shit!” The older man said as he drew his own to block their attack from above.

One continued to stay on top of him while the other spun behind him, swinging at his legs. The older man jumped, then ducked and pivoted to be in front of both of them. One charged him, coming in with his sword across his body, defending. The older man had a disadvantage as he had to carry Hinata with one hand, and wield his sword with the other.

Their two swords clashed together, and the other guard went after the younger man in the back. The younger man didn’t have a weapon on him. He had to leave it back at the castle during the kidnapping. The only option he had was escape or be captured. 

“The longer you resist, the longer you will be a prisoner!” The guard yelled, swinging the sword towards the older man’s side. The older man jumped back and lunged at the guard.

“I wouldn’t be a prisoner, I would be a dead man!” He yelled back with menace in his voice. Slowly their fight drifted towards the street that was empty. Shops on one side, a river to the other.

Hinata was still screaming.

The older man looked back towards the younger one. He was on his knees getting tied up by the other guard.

‘ _Worthless…’_ the older man though.

He knew there was no winning. His balance was constantly thrown off by the girl kicking and screaming on his back, he only had one hand to defend himself, his bad leg was no help, and the snow was slowing down his movements.

He knew his plan, and a death is still a death, even if it’s not what he had envisioned…

The older man held his sword out to the guard, slowly backing up towards the building behind him.

“Listen, just give me the bag, and you’ll save yourself a lot of trouble later.”

The older man look up at the guard and smirked. He swung the bag at the brick wall behind him, not caring what part of her hit it. Both men heard the noise that came from the bag, and the kicking slowed down until there was no more.

The guard lunged after the older man, but he pivoted to the side and threw the bag into the river behind him. The guard dropped his sword and jumped off the side into the water after the bag. The other guard was still preoccupied with the younger man to notice what was going on.

The older man took his leave, climbing onto the top of the roof of a building, and never being seen again.

 

\-------------

 

Hinata knew she was safe from the moment she was awake. She could feel her soft bed around her, the smell of the plants she kept in her room filled her lungs as she stretched out her legs from underneath her warm blanket.

Almost immediately someone was by her side.

“Princess Hinata, do you need anything, are you in pain anywhere?” One of the nursemaids asked as she sunk back into her bed after she stretched. She slowly worked her way up with the help of the nursemaid. Hinata could feel her shoulder wrapped up. She was sure it was broken.

“No, everything is fine. A glass of water would be nice.” Hinata asked of her.

“Yes, I will be right back.” She said as she scurried out the room.

Hinata took a moment and leaned back onto her pillow, being careful of her shoulder. This isn’t the first time something like this has happened, but it seemed like the most… vivid. She would think it would be because it just happened, but the voice of the kid, someone her age just standing up to those men, then getting kicked and punched and stomped on… it just sat differently with her.

There was a knock at the, presumably her water.

“Come in.” She said as she sat back up. It wasn’t who she expected, but their State Royal Military Commander for their state. She couldn’t remember his name, but she knew he took back over after previous one died. He was rather old, but still fought like he was a younger man.

“Miss Hinata” he said, bowing to her. Hinata nodded her head back.

“I need you to tell me all what you can remember about the people that took you. Don’t leave out any detail.

Hinata paused for a moment, gathering what she could remember.

“Well… we we’re moving and we stopped in an alleyway… The skinny one wanted money from the shorter one... they opened the bag to make sure it was… me in there…” Hinata looked down

“What else happened?”

“Well… there was a boy… he came around and asked them what they were doing in front of his home. The men told him to go away but he didn’t… so they hurt him… a lot.”

‘ _Well… that would explain the blood we found….’_ The man thought.

“Did you find the boy?” Hinata asked. “He said he lived there, and he was probably hurt.”

“I’m sorry my lady, but we didn’t find the boy, and from what I recall there wasn’t even a house there for him to have lived in.”

“Oh… Well I hope he’s okay.” Hinata slouched in her bed, but continued her explanation.

“They hurt the kid, and then the guards came. I tried to break free from the older man but I just couldn’t. He hit me against something, then he tossed me into the water and the guard saved me.” She finished, assuming that he knew what all happened next.

“Then the guards took you and the other guy back here, right right” The man stood up, grunting for a moment until has back straightened.

“Well, thank you for the information. We will be on high alert until this man is caught.” He said, exiting the room. “Now you get some rest.”

Hinata waited for her water, thanking the nursemaid, and promptly fell back asleep.

\---------

Fists slammed on the table, causing beakers, papers, and jars to shake. A bottle of ink spilled over, and he watched it slowing drain out of its container onto the stone floors below. He followed the ink draining into the concrete canals between the stones, making a web between everything.

“I was so close…”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this will probably be updated once a week most likely, so don’t get used to them too often!

“Hinaaaata, come on! You need to wake up!”

Hinata wished she could sleep more. Her bed was so comfy and her pillow felt like heaven. The soft silk sheets against her leg and her feather down pillow were all she needed right now.  She turned over to look at her little sister.

“Hanabi… What is it….” She grumbled, knowing full well what today was. Her little sister had a pout on her face, and her hands on her hips. Her long brown hair was bonded at the bottom by a pink bow. She was already dressed in yellow.

“I’m not even going to answer that. _You_ just need to wake up, it’s almost 8:30 and the ceremony starts at 10!” She huffed, trying to pull the blanket off her big sister.

“Okay, okay, I’m getting up don’t worry.” Hinata sighed as she stretched and sat up. Hanabi was right, she needed that much time to get ready for today.

“Okay, do you want to go tell one of the nursemaids to start a bath for m-“ Hinata asked as she rolled out of bed and onto her feet.

“Nope! I already did more for you than I wanted to.” Hanabi joked as she ran off.

Hinata stood there, hearing her sister’s laughing echo throughout the castle. She sighed, and called down for a nursemaid herself.

\-------------

Today was graduation day. A yearlong endurance camp for aspiring members of the Royal Military was announcing who had graduated, and who did not. As the eldest princess, Hinata had the honor of announcing these new soldiers. She had only taken over this role from her father when she was fifteen, but now, three years later, she feels more at ease with it.

She walked out into the courtyard, staring at the sea of people wanting to know if they made the cut. Men and women alike were in the crowd, some barely adults. The sun was shining as she walked up on the wooden stage, bowing to those who bowed to her.

The decision wasn’t hers to make whether someone graduated or not, that was the State Military Commander who made that call, she was just there to say names and shake hands.

She sat up there, next to The State Royal Military Commander, her name was Tsunade, while everyone else took their places. 

“There were plenty good ones this year, but a few just didn’t make it…” Tsunade said, taking a drink.

“Is that actually water or something else?” Hinata joked with her, and Tsunade gave her a glare.

“Listen, after the night I had you would be doing the same thing.” She laughed and gave Hinata a pat on the back. Hinata found it beneficial to be friends with Tsunade because they would have to work together in the years to come when she takes over as Queen, but Tsunade always jokes that she’s going to retire before that point.

“Don’t you think it’s a rather… disappointing for those whose names are not called during the ceremony? They just have to stay in their seats and watch as all their classmates walk across here and receive their colors and swords and after that, the new graduates are seated in a different area while you speak to them so the ones that did not make it just stick out to everyone…” Hinata questioned.

She never understood why we would single them out. Why not just tell them all before who graduated and who didn’t?

“Well… It’s so they know what to aspire for. So they’re determined to get better so this doesn’t happen to them again.” Tsunade responded.

“Well, yes I can see that, but what if the embarrassment is too much and they never want to try out again?” Hinata replied.

“Then that just means they were never cut out for it.” Tsunade grunted as she stood to start the ceremony.

She walked over to the podium and cleared her voice, causing everyone else to fall silent.

\-----------

“C’mon Sasuke, you shouldn’t say such things.”

“Sakura all I’m saying is that it’s true. If you didn’t think that you would have made it when you started out, why bother continuing the yearlong camp?” Sasuke replied back to the pink haired girl next to him.

“Well I think that everyone should be given a chance. Everyone has different skills that could be useful.” Sakura stated, “I mean look at Naruto.”

“You know I can hear you!” another man said. He was sitting in front of them. His blonde hair going in any direction. After a moment of silence two of them, Naruto and Sakura, burst out laughing, and Sasuke seemed to just smirk.

“Oh hey, Old Lady Tsunade is heading up to the podium!” Naruto exclaimed, getting the other twos attention.

“Jeez Naruto, you can show her some respect!” Sakura told him, punching his back.

Tsunade cleared her throat.

“I’m sure you all are tired of seeing my face, but if your name is called here in a moment, be assured you’ll being seeing it a whole lot more.” She started. It was typical for her to lead with a joke. Some members of the audience laughed, but most were either too anxious or too scared of her to laugh. “Before we start this, let me make it clear… this is your last chance to back out. IF you don’t want this position, now is the last time you can back out of it. If that is your choice, do so now.” 

There was only one year that Hinata could remember someone leaving after that was said, and this year seemed to follow tradition. No one left.

“With that out of the way, I will turn this over to your Princess, Hinata.”

No one clapped, but everyone stood. They bowed to her, and like she was taught, she waited three seconds before bowing back, letting them resume their seats.

“I want to congratulate each and every one of you on getting this far. I know what we put you through is some of the most intense things you have experienced so far in your life. However, there are more intense things to come. Just like with any role you are to play, we cannot prepare you for everything, we simply give you what you need to succeed. Now… what you really came here to see, the graduation ceremony.”

Hinata unrolled her list of names, and started reading them. Some names she had heard before, but most were completely new. Some people cheered when their name was called, some people simply stood up and started walking towards the front. She was nearing the end of her list when she realized that there was still half the class sitting, waiting, and anticipating.

“Uchiha”

That was the last name on the list. She looked into the crowd of people as she started to roll up her parchment, seeing the disappointed faces and some people starting to leave.

“I would encourage you all to st-“ Hinata felt a tap on her back. She turned around to face Tsunade, who was standing behind her.

“That’s not right, a name must not have made it on here. Say Uzumaki, he also graduated.” Tsunade whispered to her.

“Are you sure he didn’t get called?” Hinata asked her quietly.

“Yes, His blonde hair has been staring at me the entire ceremony.”

Hinata turned back towards the crowd, and sure enough, there was a blonde one sitting near the back, with his hands together, hoping for something.

“And Uzumaki” She stated. She could see his body raise up and jump out of his chair, a fist in the air. He runs up and stands at the end. Hinata smiled at his energy.

“I would _now_ encourage you all to stand and join me in congratulating and thanking the newest members of the Royal Military!” She said as she began to clap. Those who had not already left stood and clapped as well.

“If you would each make your way up here, we will give you your sword and your medallion, signifying you are a member of the Royal Military.” Hinata gestured for the beginning of the line to walk up onto the wooden stage.

Tsunade gave then all their medallion, placing them on their uniforms, and Hinata handed them their swords.

As Hinata was thanking each one of them, she noticed many of them were quite young, around her age. One with pink hair, one looked an awful lot like a dog-or at least smelled like it-, and one had some of the bushiest eyebrows you could imagine. But one stood out, the Uchiha.

“Thank you for serving” Hinata said to him, as she did all the others. But this one was different. He just grabbed the sword and left, not thanking her or paying respect. It wasn’t that she was insulted, it just was something different. She shook it off and turned forward to greet the last of the newest editions.

She picked up the last sword from the table. It had a gold engraving on the hilt like all the others, but this one seemed different, almost heavier. 

She bowed to him, presenting the sword.

“Thank you for serving.” She spoke. The man grabbed the sword graciously from her hands. She lifted her head up and their eyes met, then he spoke.

“For a moment, I thought you had forgotten about me…” and he walked off.

Hinata knew that voice. She had known it for the past 11 years. Every time she was in danger or trouble she would think of that voice. It’s what saved her that night. That voice was the voice of the boy from years ago. The same raspy voice she remembers. Her eyes followed as he took his place next to the Uchiha boy, saying something to him and giving him a nudge. His sentence rang in her head.

_“For a moment, I thought you had forgotten about me…”_

Did he remember her?


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dont ever have good things to say here.

She was pacing. Back and forth back and forth in the hallway leading from the west wing of the castle to the ballroom. The floor had marble tiles so clean you could see your reflection. Every step she took a small 'click' of her shoes echoed down the hall. Eventually she just threw them to the side.

"For a moment…." She muttered. She couldn't get that sentence out of her head, even his face was there. Blonde hair, blue eyes, tan skin, and small whisker marks on the sides of his face. She didn't know if they were scars or markings, but she thought they fit him well. She kept thinking.

' _How do I approach him with this? Just say "Hey remember that night years ago where it was snowing and that bag was there with a person in it? That was me!" No… that's too forward. Maybe I should just start by introducing myself… But would that be strange as a Princess talking with a royal guard all the time? Maybe I can ask father…'_

Hinata stopped. She thought of her father's face and how stern he always was towards her. How he only just this year told her happy birthday since her mother died.

"Maybe we don't ask father" Hinata sighed.

The clock chimed down the hallway from the dining area downstairs. Once, twice…. Five times it chimed.

Hinata quickly gathered her shoes, hurrying to the changing room. She hadn't realized how late it was getting and she had to be downstairs for dinner at six in completely different dress.

She was running when she ran past one of the conference rooms on her way to go change. She could hear Tsunade's voice.

"I don't care what you think, Naruto Uzumaki will be a great Soldier!" She yelled, slamming something on a table.

Hinata stopped in her tracks. She was thankful that her shoes were off, else they would have heard her- plus she isn't supposed to run in formal attire.

"Do you not realize who that boy is, Tsunade?! Give him power and you will destroy every one of us!" A man said. Hinata recognized the voice, but she couldn't quite put a name to it.

"Regardless of who or what he is, his combat skills were on par with that Uchiha boy you loved, so give it a rest Danzo!" Tsunade responded.

Danzo, that's who the voice was. He was one of the people in her father's circle. He helped make decisions, draft bills, all those things. He always seemed to be there in the background of any major event. He had a bad arm, but he always kept it wrapped up so Hinata never had a clue what happened.

"Both of you be quiet." Hinata recognized that voice immediately. That was her father. "I have told you Danzo, we will watch the boy and see where he goes from here. Any sign of it and we put an end to his service. I do not want to hear it again."

"Did you forget what happened all those years ago? Who would be to blame if that same thing happened again? It would be you and Tsunade." Danzo replied.

"But that isn't the kid's fault! He still have dreams and goals and we can't just lock him away until he dies!" Tsunade argued.

"Well why not?" Danzo smirked.

"Danzo, this boy is a person! Not some animal or some… freak you need to fear!"

"Both of you enough!" Hiashi said. "I have told you that I will not hear another word about it."

Hinata could hear her father get up and start walking. She started running again, knowing what would happen if her father knew she was eavesdropping on his conversations. She heard the door start to open and knew she wouldn't make it to the end of the hallway in time to turn and be out of site.

So she ducked into the nursemaid closet. She slid the small door open and snuck inside as quiet as she could.

"Wh-Princess Hinata, what are y-"

Hinata put a finger up to the nursemaid who was folding towels. Thankfully she got the message.

Hinata waited until she could hear them pass the corridor, then she ever so slightly opened the door, making sure they turned the corner at the end of the hall.

Hinata breathed a sigh of relief and slid down the wall of the small room to sit on the floor.

"Princess… what happened?" The nursemaid asked her, bending at her knees to be eyelevel with her.

"Oh… nothing really. Just wandering around and didn't want father to catch me." She smiled to the nursemaid. "You know how he hates when people do things for no reason." She joked as the nursemaid held her hand out and helped Hinata up.

"Don't you have dinner soon?" The nursemaid asked Hinata.

"Thanks for the reminder!" Hinata said as she bowed to the Nursemaid and took her leave, shutting the door behind her.

Another nursemaid turned into the room from the shallow hall that connected to another nursemaid closet.

"I don't think you'll ever see someone from any royal family aside from Hinata and her mother to ever bow to us" She laughed as she approached the other nursemaid.

"Well, that's just who she is. She's kind like her mother."

The room was dark with candles flickering off every item they could touch. Books, shelves, glasses, jars, fabrics, all had the calm light of the candles glowing on them. The stone floors seemed to glow, and the two people standing in the room both only saw what those candles allowed.

"I'm glad you made it." One said.

"Like there was any doubt." The other responded.

One started pacing, seeming to clean up as he went. Straightening jars and glasses, restacking papers. He paused at one paper though. It was the original list of names to be read during the graduation ceremony. There was only one name difference between it, and the one that was read. Regardless, that didn't seem to matter much now.

"You have to get as close with the family that you can, I hope you remember that."

"Of course I do." The other man huffed.

"Oh you do?" The man paused. "Because that little stunt you pulled today with the princess was not what I would call remembering!" The man threw a glass on the ground in frustration. He started approaching the other man. "You show the upmost respect every… moment… you… can."

By now they were inches apart, both could feel the atmosphere around them. Candles still flickering on their faces.

"Tsk." One said, throwing his face to the side. "I'll be more careful next time not to insult anyone." He said, almost mockingly.

He started to walk away, but the other man interrupted his pace.

"I hope you still remember your brother…" The man stopped walking.

"How dare you act like I'd forget" he mentioned angrily, and kept walking.

"I just don't want you to forget why you're doing this… Sasuke."

"Hinata."

Hinata jumped slightly, almost dropping her fork. She stared at her father from across the table, acknowledging he said her name.

"Next week you are to visit the land of wind and give them the revised trade agreement I drafted. They didn't like the last one, so make sure you sell them on this one. You will get a brief overview of it before you leave. You'll be taken by carriage and have 5 escorts." He said blankly.

And so Hinata looked at him blankly.

After blinking a few times to process what he said, she responded. "Father, are you sure you're trusting me to do this? Do they not want you to be there?"

Hiashi waved a hand "You need to start doing more things as royalty. It's mostly my fault for not starting you on it sooner. They know I'm growing older and as long as someone from the royal family does it, everything is fine." He went back to eating his bread.

"B-but Father I've only met very few other dignitaries, and I don't know their customs. What If I offend them?"

Hiashi took a drink of his wine. "My child, are you saying you are not fit for the task? Are you disobeying my orders?" his eyes narrowed.

"Wha-no no! I ju-"

"You will be told everything you will need to succeed by myself or by someone else before you leave. You will do fine." He stated.

Hinata sunk back into her seat. She could hear the snicker of her sister who always found it funny when her father and big sister interacted. She tried to tune it out and stared at her food, thinking about the responsibility she was given. She had to pack her things for a two week trip, make sure enough food was brought for everyone, horses were in healthy condition, and she had to pick out guards…

She had to pick out guards.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I also dont have good notes to put here...


	4. Chapter 4

In the week before she left, the weather finally turned cold. Hinata was always taught that if by the last week of October she hadn’t needed a coat, the winter was sure to be rough. Right now it was mid-November, and the snow just started to fall.

She had picked out her escorts, two of which have been in the military for over a decade, the other three just new graduates-Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura.

She was just going to go with Naruto and Sasuke, since they seemed to know each other, but Tsunade told her

_“Listen, I don’t know why you want to take these two with you as their first official assignment. I mean, traveling out of our borders? That just seems insane… but if you’re set on this, take Sakura Haruno with you. She keeps the peace between the two.”_

_“Oh, I thought Sasuke and Naruto were friends?” Hinata asked. “They seemed like it to me during the ceremony.”_

_“Well, friends isn’t really the right word…. More like… rivals. They build off of each other in team combat more than any other two I’ve ever seen, but they’re always trying to one up each other”_

She had grown used to the chitchat that she could hear from outside her carriage, even laughing a few times. She wondered if they knew she could hear them.

They trotted along on horseback towards the back of the carriage while the two head soldiers took the caravan from the front. All the horses were brown, with black manes.

“I always wondered what it looks like beyond just our borders, ya know? Or what winter is like in the desert! Do you think they’d get snow too?” Naruto asked.

“Of course they do, just not as much.” Sakura responded.

“That sounds so interesting to see the sand and the snow mixed together! Don’t you think so too, Sasuke?” Naruto asked, pushing his friend in the side.

“Gah, stop doing that….” Sasuke reacted, rubbing his side. “I mean, I guess it’d be interesting at least.”

“HOOO, Wait a minute!” The guard leading the caravan said as he stopped walking. He got off his horse and slowly straightened his back. “Kakashi, do you see what I see?” He pointed forward. “It seems like there is something blocking our path!”

The other guard next to him sighed. “Yes, I do see that.” He replied as he started trotting forward towards the obstruction.

“You three!” The guard turned around and pointed at Naruto Sasuke and Sakura. All three seemed to freeze.

There was an awkwardly long pause between the two parties.

“Guard the carriage. Kakashi and I can handle this.”

\--

Hinata flinched at the sound of someone yelling. She tried to figure out what was happening outside, but couldn’t quite decipher it.

She heard a knock, then the coachman opened the door to the carriage. The top of his hat had a few snow flurries sticking to it.

“My Lady, there are some rocks that are blocking our path, but we should be back moving in a few minutes. If you would like to get out and stretch your legs you are more than welcome to.” He told her.

Hinata could feel the chill of the cold air drift in as the coachman stood with the door open. Hinata grabbed the edges of her coat and wrapped it tighter around her body, the fur of the sides tickling her face and neck.

“I think that’s a fine idea.” She replied.

She ducked her head out of the carriage, holding onto the side of it as she looked ahead on their path.

\--

“She is rather pretty, don’t you think?” Sakura said, looking at Hinata leaving the carriage. Sakura started to unmount to stretch her legs, and the boys followed.

Naruto and Sasuke both looked up at her as they got off their horses. Her long dark hair waved behind her, the dark red of her coat covering her dress and arms, with its white trim blending into the snow.

“I mean she looks like every other girl.” Naruto said, putting his arms behind his head. Sakura punched his side.

“Don’t say that! She’s royalty, what if she hears you? You could be done for!” She explained angrily.

Naruto rubbed his side while Sasuke let out a small laugh at his pain.

“She doesn’t seem like that though, she seems nice.” Naruto said as he stared at Hinata, watching her walk towards the other two guards.

\--

When the coachman said some rocks, Hinata didn’t really picture boulders. The “rocks” blocking their way came at least to her shoulders. She put a gloved hand to it, feeling it was rather warm for being outside in this weather.

“My, these sure are big, are you okay to move these? I’m sure we can find another path if we need to…” She spoke to the guards who were doing the heavy lifting.

“These? No this is nothing! Between me and Kakashi over here, nothing can get in our way!” The Guard said. Hinata let out a slight laugh at the bushy-eyed man. Come to think of it, he looked an awful lot like the man who just graduated a few weeks ago, but she decided to not comment on it. Kakashi just let out a sigh.

“Well, I’ll leave you all to it.” Hinata said as she turned towards the carriage to brush some snow off of one of the horse’s manes. She smoothed out the hair, and brushed off its forehead as well.

“There, I’m sure that’s better.” She spoke softly to the horse. The horse responded with a slight whinny.

Hinata smiled at the creature. She was about to complement its voice, but her eye caught something in one of the nearby trees. Something that shimmered. Her eyes narrowed at it, but it seemed to disappear as fast as she saw it. She started walking towards it, trying to find it again among the trees. She stopped at the edge of the path before the tree line, trying to find anything.

“P-Princess Hinata! Are you wanting to go further?” She turned around and looked at the guard who spoke to her. It was Naruto.

“Oh, uhm, yes I would! I’d love to see.. the snow on the leaves more.” She made up.

“Oh, well one of us should go with you! We’re supposed to protect you and all ya know.” He laughed, walking towards her.

Hinata started to smile at the chance to just talk to him while they walked, but her smile was cut off by an interruption.

“No, you should stay here, I have the best eyes for catching any sort of movement so I should go with her.” Sasuke stated as he walked in front of Naruto. Hinata watched as Naruto’s shoulders dropped and then his eyes narrow at Sasuke.

“I don’t need eyes like yours to see you’re a dick” Naruto murmured.

“Quit acting like an embarrassment in front of the Princess, and just in general would be nice too.”  Sasuke scolded before he started walking past Hinata. Hinata darted her eyes between the two, giving a quick laugh to Naruto before she caught up to Sasuke.

Hinata kept staring at the trees, watching for what she saw earlier, but she couldn’t seem to focus on any one spot with the snow falling faster. It still wasn’t enough to bother her, but enough to distort her vision.

 _‘Maybe Sasuke could help me… he said that his vision was really good earlier.’_ She thought. What could she lose?

“Hey Sasuke… you said that your vision was really good right?” Sasuke looked at her and nodded.

“Well, I saw something earlier in the trees and I was wondering if you saw something too. It was shining and seemed to move as soon as I saw it.” She explained

Sasuke started at her blankly. Then he looked up into the trees, narrowing his eyes. He scanned the area, stopping a few times before he looked back at her.

“I didn’t see anything then, and I don’t see anything now.” He said, his voice monotone.

“… Well, thanks for looking.” She replied.

Something just seemed off to her about Sasuke since their first encounter, but she didn’t want to mention it. The thought of having an awkward atmosphere between the two of them for the rest of this trip didn’t sound very pleasant either.

“So… Can I ask you why you wanted to join the Military?” She pondered, trying to start a conversation.

Sasuke stared down at her.

“… You can do what you want.”

Hinata just stared at him, processing what he just told her. No one ever really spoke to her like that, but it wasn’t necessarily rude… it was rather straightforward, but still very out of the ordinary for most people.

“Okay… Well, why did you join the Military?”

Sasuke looked forward and kept walking, not looking at Hinata as he responded. “Mainly because of my brother, he-“

“SaaaAAAAAAsuuuKKKEEEEEEE”

They both jumped at the yell, turning around to see who was yelling. They saw Naruto running towards them, waving an arm in the air.

“Gai and Kakashi are done, it’s time to get moving again!” He told them.

“You idiot!” Sasuke said, briskly walking back to Naruto. “Don’t just yell like that! Who knows who is out here!” Sasuke complained to him.

“Well, I was just testing your hearing. If your eyes are so good, surely something else is lacking…” Naruto joked.

“What are you trying to say?” Sasuke replied, his eye seeming to twitch.  

Hinata laughed at the banter between the two before approaching them both.  

“Come on, the both of you. Now I can have two escorts.” She said, walking past them, back towards the carriage.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was longer than I expected, that's for sure. BUT there's some action, and while action isn't my strong point I hope it's okay!
> 
> Enjoy and hang tight for Chapter 6!

 

"Yes, this agreement will be just fine." He said, signing the document at the bottom. He shuffled the paper over and signed again. A copy for him and for them.

"We cannot wait to start our trade routes with you. We will start on getting them build as soon as possible." Hinata told him.

It was so strange to see someone who was so young, practically her age, running a country. Then again there wasn't any living royalty for the nation to do it, aside from his siblings. Still, he was the strongest, and most intimidating of the three, so they gave the position to him, the youngest.

"We shall look forward to a stronger alliance as well." He replied. Hinata could tell he was trying to smile, but it just didn't fit him too well.

"Absolutely, King Gaara." She smiled back to him. He handed her the documents that he signed and she turned around to leave, her audience with the king being over. She started walking and out of the side of her eye she saw it- a movement. She looked up out of instinct and saw someone leaving from a side door you couldn't even tell was there. For a moment, she thought it was Danzo.

It was the same arm, always wrapped up in a bandage and a cloth over it. Same short, grey, choppy, hair that she knew.

"Is something the matter, Princess Hinata?" Gaara spoke from his seat in the audience room.

It was here that Hinata realized that she was leaning forward with her eyes squinted, staring at a wall.

"Oh! No it's fine, really." She replied, turning around and giving her bow. Gaara nodded his head back to her.

Hinata couldn't stop thinking about that one scene since they left. It was around eight in the evening, the sun had already set, and the snow didn't help the cold. They had just passed into their own territory about thirty minutes ago, and they wouldn't be arriving to the capitol for another five hours.

She tried to focus on being warm, but her mind kept drifting back to Danzo.

' _That couldn't have possibly been him, he couldn't have made this trip in the time that we had, there's no way. And even if he did, he doesn't have the authority to just be in another kingdom's capitol castle and be going in and out of nursemaid doors. There's no way that was him… but it looked so much like him…'_

Hinata's thoughts were disturbed by a rush of wind hitting the carriage, seeming to seep through the wood and metal it was made from.

She grabbed her coat and wrapped it tighter, tucking her body in. She debated putting the hood up, but her hair was plenty warm for her head and neck.

Outside it was the same formation. Kakashi and Gai up front, then the carriage, and after that was Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. They were making their way down a path, and about thirty feet to the side of them was a drop off, and ten to the right was the side of a small mountain with tress covering its side. It was rather pretty, especially covered in snow. The snow didn't bother their horses nearly as much as it was bothering them. The horses didn't even seemed phased by it.

Naruto envied his horse, which he named 'Tree' because he had never ridden a horse this big and tall before. Naruto sat on top of it, with the reins in his hands. His coat, not nearly as thick as the others, was wrapped as tightly as it could be around his body. He sneezed.

"Naruto I told you, you needed to bring a heavier coat." Sakura reminded him after she heard him sneeze.

"Sakura I told you, this is the only one I have! We've only been a part of the military for two weeks, haven't really gotten paid enough to think about buying a better coat yet." Naruto replied, wiping his nose on his thin gloves.

"You could have told me, I would have brought my spare." Sasuke chimed in, looking back at Naruto.

"Sasuke... you would have really done that?" Naruto asked, surprised at his comrade.

"Ha, no way. I would just left it rolled up on my horse." Sasuke replied. "I'd just want you to see it and know you couldn't have it."

Naruto's eyebrows angled in, and he made a pout. "You don't have to be so mean all the time."

Sakura laughed a bit. "Come on, you two are friends, act like it some more." She said before she rode up a bit to catch up with the carriage.

Sasuke and Naruto watched her ride forward. There was a silence between the two.

"… Sasuke, are we really friends?" Naruto asked softly, looking forward.

"…some days." Sasuke replied, then he rode up to catch Sakura.

Naruto kept back, amazed at the answer. He thought about how this was the first time anyone admitted to being his friend. Sure, he thought of many people as friends, but he never knew if they thought the same of him.

Just as Naruto started to move forward, he saw something in the trees above them.

Something catching the small amount of light from the moon drifting through the clouds.

Naruto leaned his body forward, and kicked his horse, but it all seemed too late. He knew what it was from the moment he saw it.

It was an arrowhead.

He saw the arrow release as his foot hit the side of his horse. They both sprinted forward in the blink of an eye, but the arrow was faster.

It hit the coachman in the neck. He immediately fell over and everyone's attention was spiked.

Another one.

It hit one of the horses carrying the carriage in the hind leg. The horse reared up, causing the other horse to move with it, as they were tied together. The shot horse started running, but the other seemed too caught off guard by everything to understand what was going on, and refused to cooperate with the other one. The shot horse let out a buck of its legs, hitting into the carriage. The coachman fell off into the snow.

Hinata couldn't see what was going on, but knew the horses seemed spooked. She tried to remain calm, assuming it had just seen something. But the sudden jerks and movements of the carriage didn't help. She could hear the guards yelling, but couldn't understand what they were saying. It was at the point where the hooves of the horse had broken through the front of the carriage as it bucked back that Hinata knew something was wrong. Very wrong.

Another arrow from a different angle flew through the air, hitting the same horse in the neck. This time the horse seemed to fall down, not getting up, but not dead either. The Horse attached to it starts to realize what is happening. It starts running in any and every direction, jerking and zigzagging as much as it can.

"Shit shit shit shit" Naruto kept repeating, trying to figure out what to do. Gai and Kakashi were trying to track down the shooter, and Sakura and Sasuke kept trying to undo the horses from their reigns. Naruto knew that would be impossible with the jerking movement of the horses and one being dragged on the ground by the other.

Naruto rode his horse to the front of the carriage, alongside the horse moving, trying to calm it down. But nothing seemed to be working. He grabbed the reins of the horse, pulling it back so the horse's head would go back and once it can't see where it's going, it will stop moving.

But that didn't seem to work.

The horse felt the jerk and it turned backwards, almost knocking Naruto off of his horse in the process. Naruto seriously did not know how this horse had enough power to fling itself and the carriage around but now the horse was staring at him from about 10 feet away. Naruto held the reigns in his hands, pulling them towards him, trying to do the same thing with the horse. The horse charged, and Naruto maneuvered out of the way as it barely passed him without knocking into him. He dropped the reins in the process.

Hinata was trying to open the door of the carriage as the coach driver not responding to her to tell her what was happening outside. The only trouble was that she couldn't get to the door without being jerked around or thrown to the other side of the carriage. She started yelling for help and asking what was going on.

Naruto could hear Hinata yelling from the carriage. Sasuke and Sakura tried to get rope around the horse's neck and legs to stop it from moving, but the snow was too harsh for them to be accurate.

Naruto decided it was either get her out of the carriage, or risk her potentially going off the drop off. Kakashi and Gai were protecting from oncoming attacks, so it was now or never.

Naruto rushed up on his horse, riding alongside the carriage. He started yelling.

"You can hear me, right?" He yelled up against the carriage.

"Yes! What is going on?" Hinata responded, listening for an answer.

"Don't worry, just back away from this side of the carriage!" He yelled.

"O-Okay!"

Naruto took his sword and started slashing at the hinges of the door, trying to break it off.

"Alright, Hinata, Kick the door!"

Hinata positioned herself at an angle to where she could kick it, both hands holding onto the shelves above her. She kicked it once and she could see the splinters where the wood was breaking. She kicked it twice, and it was almost off. She kicked it once more, and the door came off the hinges, only being held by the lock on the other side.

Hinata could see the disturbed snow, the falling snow, and the hand reaching out towards her.

"Grab it, you'll be fine!" He yelled, trying to keep his horse steady. "Trust me! "

Hinata tried to make her way to the opening, trying to keep her footing. His hand was so close. Naruto tried to make his horse get closer to the carriage, but it didn't want to budge.

Hinata lunged forward to grab his hand. He pulled her out of the carriage, trying to her on his horse as well.

Her legs had just hit the horse when the carriage hit a large rock under the snow, causing one of the wheels to pop off. Hinata held onto Naruto's waist, thankful she wasn't in there.

The next thing she knew she was falling.

The wheel that had come of the carriage had slammed into the legs of Naruto's horse. The wheel threw the horse off balance, causing it to fly off to the side.

Soon there was no more ground underneath them.

They were falling from the drop off.

Hinata just held onto Naruto, looking upward. She saw the carriage and its horse's fall of the edge as well, coming down next to them. It passed so fast it was almost invisible. Only seconds later they heard it crash.

"Hinata, I need you to let go for just a moment." He yelled against the wind.

"Wh-are you sure!?" She yelled back

"Positive!"

She did as she was told and let go of him. He drew his sword from its position at his waist. He gestured for her to hold back on to him. She wrapped her arms as tight as she could around his waist, burying her face against his back.

Naruto removed himself from the saddle of the horse.

"Sorry Tree, but I can't save you too…" he said quietly as the distance between them and the horse grew.

Naruto stared down, waiting to see where the horse landed. He scanned and scanned until he heard the crash from his horse.

'That's good enough.' He thought.

Hinata kept her eyes closed, but the yell that Naruto let out when their momentum started slowing down drastically was almost deafening.

"Just… Hold on…" He said as they were coming to a stop.

Hinata opened her eyes and was surprised to see the ground just a few inches from her. She looked up and saw Naruto hanging onto his sword that was shoved into the dirt behind him.

"Okay, you can let go…" Naruto told her.

"O-Oh, Right…" Hinata stuttered as she extended her legs down, letting go of Naruto. Naruto extended his out to touch the ground, yanking his sword out of the wall with a sharp noise.

"Are… are you okay?" She asked, watching as he sheathed his sword.

"I did something to my arm... but I think I just dislocated it." He said, trying to move it around. "But the important thing is that you're okay." He smiled, just letting his arm hang. "You are okay, right?" He asked her.

"Oh! Yes, just a little… confused…" she replied, looking back up from where they fell.

It must have been a good few hundred feet drop, she had no idea how they had survived.

"SAAAAASUUUUKEEEEEEEE" Naruto yelled, causing Hinata to jump. She looked over at him glaring up at the top of the cliff. "I know he can hear me."

"..ooo…" they heard back.

"Yeah, they knew we're okay. They'll come and find us eventually." He smiled at her. "Now we just need to find a cave or something until they do!" Naruto explained, walking around to try and find shelter.

"And how long do you think that'll be?" Hinata asked, running after him.

"I'm sure not very long. After all, you are the Princess."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoy ellipses… but I hope you enjoy the longest chapter yet~~~

They salvaged what they could from the crash. A few blankets, a box, a few pairs of flint and steel, and what wood they could peel off from the carriage. They even took most of Hinata’s clothes so they could use them in the fire. Most of the Hinata didn’t like anyway.

 Hinata knew that Naruto was stronger than her, but it still wasn’t easy for him to break off pieces of wood. His right arm was messed up pretty bad, so he was using his left arm and his sword to try and chop off what he could. He even carried most of everything back, except the box that Hinata was firm they needed to save.

They sat around their makeshift fire in a small cave they found around a hundred feet from where they fell. Hinata has a blanket around her, and Naruto had two blankets around him. She though he looked rather funny huddled like a cocoon.

“Are you warm?” He asked her, realizing he had most of the blankets.

“Oh yes I’m fine! I have my coat and it’s lined with sheep skin, so it’s very warm.” She replied with a soft smile.

“Ah…” Naruto said as he stared at the fire. “You know… you’re a lot different than what I imagined.” He laughed.

Hinata began to worry.

“L-like how?” She asked with concern. Naruto let out another laugh.

“Nothing bad, it’s just you hear these stories about “Hiashi the Powerful” and “Hiashi the Fiercest Wall of our Country” so I went into this assignment thinking you would be the same way.” He explained. Hinata kept listening. “But you… you aren’t mean or stern or think yourself above us. You don’t order us around or anything like that.”

Hinata smiled “Of course. You’re people, not servants. What makes you want to protect me if I don’t even say ‘thank you.’”

“You’re just different from what I’d imagine royalty to be… but in a good way.” He smiled at her.

Hinata watched him try to adjust himself more upright, but his right arm wasn’t making it easier on him.

“Here… let me see your arm.” She told him, scooting closer.

Naruto looked at her in confusion, not moving for her to look at it.

“No… I can’t let the Princess of our country bandage my arm.” He said. Hinata laughed

“You just said I was different than most royalty, so let me see it.” She joked.

Naruto shed the blankets from his body. He undid the clasps on his chest piece so he could slide out of it, which he could do with one arm. He took a moment to try to take off his long sleeve shirt underneath that, but realized he couldn’t lift it over his head. Hinata stared at him, waiting for him to ask her for help.

“I….” He looked off to the side. “I can’t get it off” he murmured.

Hinata helped him take the shirt off, then the chainmail underneath, then another long sleeved shirt.

“I didn’t realize how many layers you had to wear…” She said, folding up the clothes beside them.

“Yeah, one between us and every layer of metal. So they don’t scratch together and they last longer.” He explained.

Hinata looked at his shoulder and compared it to the other one. The major difference was that his right shoulder was covered in purple and black, just bruised everywhere and all over. Hinata couldn’t help but feel bad for him. She touched his shoulder slightly and he winced at the pain.

“It used to hurt a lot more, but now it’s getting better.” He said, but Hinata didn’t believe him.

She saw how the shoulder looked out of place compared to the other one. The shoulder was definitely swollen, but it was shaped differently as well.

“Okay… this is going to hurt… a lot… but it will better when I’m done, I promise.” She told him.

Naruto whined a bit, but eventually balled a portion of the blanket in his mouth and bit down.

“You ready?” Hinata asked. Naruto nodded his head.

Hinata pushed his shoulder inward with all her might, snapping it back into its right location. She heard the muffled shriek of pain from Naruto when she did it, but it died down after a few seconds.

“… Neeever do that again…” Naruto said, breathing heavily. He straightened his back out and started to try and roll his shoulder around. Surprisingly, whatever she had done seemed to work.

“How… did you do that?” He asked, still moving his arm around.

“Well… my sister used to hurt herself all the time while playing, and I would always watch the nursemaid help her and set things back to where they were, so I just picked it up.” She explained, handing him back his clothing.

“That’s amazing! What a really useful skill.” he smiled.

Hinata smiled back. Even though they were here for who knows how long, she was enjoying it. The conversations they were having we’re enjoyable, and even though the snow was coming down harsh outside, inside was warm and cozy, even if she couldn’t stand up without hitting her head.

“So… if you don’t mind me asking,” Naruto said, “What’s in the box?” He pointed behind her to a small round box with gold clasps on both sides.

“Oh… that’s my crown.” She said, grabbing the box from behind her. Naruto’s eyes widened at her response, not realizing how important of an item they could have lost.

“I didn’t know you had it with you, I hadn’t seen you wear it at all during the trip.” He said

“I haven’t ever worn this one. It’s not made for a princess; it was made for a queen. Since I’m not queen yet, I don’t wear it.” Hinata cleaned the lid of the box from a bit of water from the snow.

“So why do you have it?” he asked.

“Since my mother passed I’ve always carried it with me. It’s mine because I’m the next in line… but who knows, maybe my little sister will take the thrown and I’ll just… live normally.” She joked.

“Hey, I would have given anything to live like roy-“

His words were cut off by the sound of Hinata’s stomach growl. Naruto looked at her face and saw it turning red.

“Oh my, how embarrassing…” She turned away, cupping her hands in her face. Naruto couldn’t help but laugh.

“If you’re hungry, I can get us some food.” He told her, grabbing his sword.

“But… we don’t have any.” She told him.

“Listen, we have food, but it’s not… ideal.” He explained, scratching his head.

“What do you mean?”

“Well… we have horse meat.”

………

Hinata sat there, watching the meat roast on the fire. Naruto had gone out and carved and skinned some from the horses who had perished when they fell off the cliff with them. The smell was absolutely mouthwatering, but she didn’t know if she would eat it when it came down to it.

“I know it’s probably not what you’re used to food wise, but it’s what we got.” He said, turning the meat on the stick he had them on.

“No, no it’s… fine.” She said, watching the meat cackle near the fire.

Naruto started taking off his shirts again.

“What are you doing?” Hinata asked, slightly blushing and turning her eyes away.

“I’m getting hot sitting so close to the fire, surprisingly. I can put them back on it you want.” He said, pausing his movements.

“Oh, go ahead, it’s fine I was just curious.” Hinata spoke a bit faster than normal.

 _‘What is wrong with me… he took off his shirts earlier and I didn’t do this. Just calm down and focus on the food.’_ Hinata thought to herself.

Naruto poked at the meat a bit before handing one to Hinata, taking a seat to her left.

She looked at his shoulder again, and gasped softly.

“Your bruises are almost completely gone…” She said, touching his shoulder. Naruto turned his head to look back at it.

“Huh, yeah that seems about right…” He said before taking a bight of his food. “You know, horse doesn’t taste that bad.”

“H-how did it heal that fast… that should be impossible.” She whispered.

Naruto shrugged. “I don’t know, I’ve always been a fast healer. Ever since I was little.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, when I was around seven I got beat up real bad by these two guys, but that’s a whole other story. Anyway, the next morning all the bruises on my face were completely gone. It was still a bit swollen but other than that you couldn’t tell.”

Hinata stared at him, watching him eat. She knew those two guys that hurt him… she was there. Right now all the doubts she had about him not being the boy that saved her that night just vanished.

She swallowed.

“Can you tell me that story?” She asked quietly, setting the food back down neat the fire.

“Of the two guys? Hmmm… I was walking home one night. It was really late too. But I saw these two guys acting really suspicious, and me thinking I’m the greatest and nothing could ever stop me, I called them out on it. I told them ‘Hey, what are you two doing?’ and they kept telling me it was none of my business. Eventually I figured out that they had kidnapped someone or something, I never got the details, but the royal military eventually showed up and I got out of there since I didn’t want to go to jail.” He laughed.

Hinata kept staring at the horse meat in front of her. Naruto turned to her, expecting a response.

“Hello?” he joked with her.

“… Why did you say you lived there, if there wasn’t even a house?” she asked him, not looking up at him.

“wha-… how did you kno-“

“It was me, I was the one that was in the bag. I was the one that coughed and you noticed. I was the one that you saved that night!” She told him, tears seeming to fall from her eyes. Naruto just sat there with his eyes widened.

“I had the guards search and search for you, trying to thank you for what you had done and every single time I was ever scared since that day it was your voice that I always heard, and it helped me to stay calm, and now you’re here after so many years and I’m sure I sound like an idiot just going on about something that’s probably so insignificant to yo-“

There was a hand on her face. It wasn’t a slap, but it was firm and it cupped her cheek.

His thumb wiped a tear off her face.

He ducked down to be eye level with her, and gave her a smile.

Then he hugged her.

Hinata couldn’t remember the last time she had be hugged. Her father never did it, and her sister was never loving enough to even care. She could feel his body warmth around hers, letting it sink into her skin. His arms were wrapped around her tightly, seeming to block out everything else. She hesitated for a moment, but she wrapped her arms around his back and buried her face in his chest for who knows how long. For the first time in a long time she felt loved, something that she didn’t know she was missing. It wasn’t romance, it wasn’t lust- it was just him caring about her. They had only really known each other for a few hours, and yet she could feel how much he cared.

She wondered if he cared this much for everyone he met.

“After all those years, I never knew that what I did would save a princess, save you… That’s just incredible.” He spoke softly, moving his hand to stroke her hair. He never something as soft as her hair before.

Hinata laughed at the situation. “Look at us” she wiped her face and look up at him. “After all these years we meet like this.”

He laughed back at her. “Yeah, it does seem crazy.”

Hinata’s smile slowly faded, staring at the ground.

“So… why did you say you lived there? The guards never found a house in the area, it was all just stores.” She questioned

Naruto sighed.

“I did live there, just not in a house….” He paused. “Don’t think less of me for this, it’s really… awkward to talk about.”

“I never would.” Hinata assured.

“Well… there was this… wooden barrel that laid on its side in that alley. I had a blanket in there and an extra shirt. That was home for me for years. No one ever came down that way, so it was nice and private. No one could bother me.” He spoke quietly, facing towards the fire.

Hinata watched him tuck his legs into his chest, resting his arms and head on them.

“…what about your parents?” Hinata asked, stepping carefully with her questions.

“I… I never knew them. I was alone for as long as I can remember.” He said, muffled into his arms.

Hinata stayed quiet, not knowing that kids in her country slept on the streets like that. Did the orphanages not take him? She wanted to know more but didn’t want to ask too much.

“It was like that for a long time till I was about 12, then a retired soldier let me travel with him for a while, and he taught me all sorts of skills. So it’s not always been so bad.” He smiled, turning his head towards her.

She smiled back, enjoying that he was happy.

They sat there for a while, watching the fire cackle while the wind kept blowing.

Naruto got up as much as he could and put his shirts back on, wrapping up in his thin coat and a blanket, grabbing his sword.

“Where are you going?” She asked.

“I’m going to see what more wood I can get. The fire is dying out.” He said, ducking out of their cave.

He turned back to her. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.” He told her with a smile.

She nodded her head.

She heard his feet crunching in the snow for a few seconds before the wind seemed to cover them up. She looked down at the food that was in front of her, realizing she hadn’t eaten it.

She took a small bite.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaah yes. Chapter 7-the plot thickens.

 

Naruto was staring ahead into the snow, trying to figure out where the wreck was. The snow had covered up all the tracks they had made earlier, so there wasn't a trail to follow. The wind kept whipping around, throwing snow in every direction.

Naruto kept walking, steeping in snow up to his mid-calf every time. His foot caught n something, causing him to fall on top of it.

"Gah!" He let out, falling face first into the snow. He slowly lifted his head up, trying to shake off the snow. He turned around and dug underneath the snow, trying to find out what he had tripped over. It was one of the boxes they had left behind.

"Aha, so the carriage isn't that far…" he murmured, getting back up to his feet. He shuffled around in the snow around the area until his foot ran into something. He ducked on his knees and cleared off the snow around it, finding bits of the carriage wheel.

' _Perfect. Now I just have to dig up the rest of it…'_ he thought to himself with a sigh.

He began scraping off what wood he could get, slicing it with his sword, and throwing it into the pile behind him. He could feel the wood making small tears in his gloves as he kept peeling it back, becoming snagged on the fabric. He figured it was time for a new pair anyways.

Suddenly he stopped. He didn't look up, he didn't move, he just closed his eyes.

' _I heard something. I heard something, I know I did. Where did it come from…'_ he thought, trying to concentrate on any noise he could find.

"Monster."

Naruto threw his head up, throwing an arm behind him, but no one was there.

He swiftly moved his head around the area, trying to figure out what was happening. That voice was so real, so… personal, he couldn't have imagined it.

"You're a monster." It said.

"Where are you?!" Naruto yelled, getting frustrated. All he heard was a laugh from a direction completely different than where the voice was before.

"I'm nowhere, yet everywhere." It said.

"Stop playing games with me, you'll regret it." Naruto said, more calmly but still on high alert.

"I'm not playing games; I'm telling you the truth." The voice said.

"tsk" Naruto voiced, griping his sword tighter.

"You don't think that she would really care for you if she knew what you were."

"…" Naruto stood there with his eyes closed.

"She'd probably be horrified; knowing that you caused all that death and destruction so many years ago."

"That wasn't me…" Naruto spoke softly into the wind.

' _That wasn't me, that wasn't me, that wasn't me!_ ' Naruto yelled in his head.

"That's why no one ever wanted to adopt you, why all those orphanages turned you away…

Isn't it?"

Naruto's eyes snapped open, and he swung his sword behind him, hitting nothing.

' _It was so close… right on my ear…'_ Naruto thought in his head, completely confused about everything happening.

"She would just be like everyone else, staring in fear at you if she knew"

"STOP IT!" Naruto yelled, and the snow falling around him seemed to be blown away from him.

Naruto stood there, eyes closed, waiting for the next response.

' _Just calm down, he isn't showing himself, there's nothing I can do until I know where he is. Just breathe, just breathe… just…'_

" _ **You know he's right, you technically are a monster thanks to me."**_

_Naruto snapped his eyes open, surrounded in his subconscious, face to face with what was the reason for his neglect and why people hated him for so many years._

_Kurama._

_For so many years Naruto had dealt with the hatred of every person he met because of Kurama. He couldn't control the power he had. Every time he got angry, or scared, he would remember Kurama being there, laughing at him. The nine tailed fox- filled with hatred._

" _k-Kurama…" Naruto spoke._

" _ **But Listen to me Naruto, I'm not your enemy anymore… I've grown too soft thanks to you and your years maturing with that Jaraiya soldier… You aren't the monster he thinks you are."**_ _Kurama told him, with a slight smile on his face._

" _ **Once you find him, show him what we can really do."**_

_Naruto smirked. He knew Kurama was right._

"N-Naruto!"

Naruto snapped out of his subconscious. He turned around and saw horses approaching him. IT was Sakura's pink hair that stood out the most.

"S-Sakura! Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed, waving his arm at them.

They were both on horseback, followed by Kakashi. They stopped in front of him, asking him so many questions at once, he couldn't think fast enough to answer them.

"Where's the princess? Are you both okay? How did you survive that? Did you leave the princess alone? Where's the carriage? What abou-" He could hear from all of them

"Whoa whoa! Slow down! We are both completely fine, don't worry, follow me and I'll lead you to her." Naruto said, feeling confident in his abilities.

"You mean you left her alone?!" Sakura asked.

"To get more wood for our fire!" Naruto responded, turning around to lead them back to their cave.

Naruto acted happy as the snow died down, but his guard was still up, looking for any movements he could see in the trees around them.

…

Hinata was placed on a horse with Kakashi, and Naruto was on Sasuke's, and started their hours long ride back to the capital. Gai had ridden onward to inform the king as to what had happened.

It had stopped snowing as they began, and the sun was coming up over the horizon. Even though it was morning, Hinata slept on Kakashi's back as they traveled.

Naruto wasn't so lucky.

"Wrap your arms around me and you're dead." Sasuke told Naruto before he even got on the horse. Naruto sat there with his hands on Sasuke's shoulders for stability. He kept dosing off, but the feeling of him falling off the horse kept jerking him awake.

"Naruto… how did you survive that fall completely unscathed?" Sasuke asked.

"Easy, I shoved my sword into the side of the cliff to stop our momentum. My arm was pretty messed up from it, but Hinata fixed it like-"

"Princess Hinata." Sasuke interrupted.

"… _Princess_ Hinata fixed it just like new." Naruto finished.

Sasuke stared ahead, thinking.

"How did your sword not break? Between the two of you and the speed you were at, it should have broken almost immediately." Sasuke asked.

Naruto was flustered for a second, but still gave an answer.

"O-oh! Well I guess mine is just better than yours is!" Naruto replied, adding in a laugh. Sasuke just groaned.

Naruto lied. He knew exactly why his sword didn't break. He infused it with Kurama's power before jamming it into the cliff, giving it the extra protection it needed.

….

They had arrived back at the capital by noon. Kakashi didn't care that everyone was awake for their arrival, but at least everyone was alright. He rode up to the eastern gates of the castle, where Gai was standing there, waiting to greet them.

"Princess! I am so glad that you are okay!" Gai exclaimed, running over to them. Hinata hold her head up, and looked over at him sleepily.

"Ah, yes. I am just fine." She said, speaking softly.

"That is just wonderful! Let me help you down." He told her, and Kakashi sighed. Gai held a hand out, helping Hinata off of the horse. Kakashi then jumped off of his, as did everyone else.

"You there!" Gai yelled, pointing at one of the guards patrolling the castle. The guard jumped. "Escort the Princess to her Father's throne room for her summary statements, after that, escort her to her room for some well needed sleep." Gai said, giving Hinata a smile. Hinata awkwardly smiled back. She thanked the guard who took her from Gai.

"Kakashi… the King was not happy. I gave him a full report that the main mission was successful, but he was seething when I told him what happened with the carriage." Gai explained, walking slower with Kakashi. Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura quickly caught up with them once the stable workers took their horses.

"Well I would be too, that's his eldest daughter, you know." Kakashi pointed out. Gai just furrowed his eyebrows.

"But that's the thing, he didn't seem worried about her, he was upset that we didn't catch whoever had done it. Princess Hinata wasn't even mentioned from him."

"That's… rather odd." Kakashi commented. "What about Tsunade?"

"Hooo… She nearly killed me when I told her what had happened." Gai told him.

" _I swear if there is even a scratch on that girl you're all dead!"_ Gai shuddered.

They kept walking through the castle grounds, thankful that the snow had been shoveled from the pathways, going towards where Tsunade would be, the soldier training grounds. Kakashi knocked on the door of the head building.

It took a few seconds, but Tsunade answered the door. She scanned them, watching as the three rookies avoided eye contact with her, while Kakashi and Gai were looking at her cold-faced.

"Tsunade, we are here to report-"

"I only want him." Tsunade interrupted Kakashi, looking at Naruto.

Naruto gulped.

Inside, Naruto sat across the room from Tsunade, who had her hands folded in front of her face. The room was quiet, with only the clicking of a clock on the wall to keep them company.

Naruto was sweating, trying to think of what he had really done to deserve whatever punishment from Tsunade she was going to give him. He kept rubbing his hands on his legs, trying to get the sweat to stop.

"Naruto" Tsunade spoke.

"YES." Naruto said too loudly. Tsunade moved her head back slightly at the sound.

"Tell me everything."

Naruto's face went soft, staring at the ground.

"Well…" Naruto started. He gave his explanation of what happened, how he saved her, what he did to keep her alive and comfortable, and how they were found.

Tsunade sat there with her eyebrows furrowed for- at least to Naruto- hours.

"Naruto…" Hey eyes softened. "I'm proud of you. I don't think there was anything you could have done differently in the situation you found yourselves in. You thought on your feet, and you were always thinking of what was really important."

She got up, walking over next to Naruto. She put a hand on his shoulders and bent down to be eye level with him.

"You did good."

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. He put a hand to his chest, ecstatic he wasn't in trouble.

"Oh… thank you! You don't know how relieved I am to hear you say that!" He laughed softly.

"Go celebrate and relax, you deserve it." Tsunade told him, returning back to her chair.

Naruto was about to leave, but when she told him to celebrate, the only one he wanted to celebrate with was Hinata.

"Ne... Tsunade, are we allowed to… I don't know… Hinata and I talked a lot while we were stuck together, and I-" Naruto started, but Tsunade cut him off.

"If you're talking about you falling in love with her Uzumaki, I don't want to hear it, that is something that only the royal family decides upon. However… if you are not on duty, you are welcome to spend as much time as she permits with you, as any other citizen." Tsunade explained. She rubbed her temple thinking of just how much of a pain it would be if he really was in love with her.

"Ah… I see, thank you!" He said, finally taking his leave.

"Oh! Tell the others that they are dismissed." Tsunade told him, waving her hand.

"Will do!"

…

"… Sasuke… you had so many opportunities for this to work, so why didn't they?" A man said.

Sasuke took a seat on the wooden stool surrounding the table of papers and glasses, notes seemingly scribbled on everything.

"Well… the first time she saw you. So that was your fault." Sasuke replied, and the man taking a seat across from him.

"Your second attempt literally almost _got her killed_. There was no way for me to be able to save her."

The man sighed and lowered his head.

"So why did that Naruto boy do it? Are you saying he's better than you?" The man asked of Sasuke.

Sasuke scoffed his answer. "No! He was just in a better position than I was at the time."

The man rolled his eyes at the response. "Well, no matter. I hope I convinced the boy that he is no good for her, so he backs off. But you need to get closer with her before she falls in love with this… Uzumaki kid."

"Like she would. No one could ever do that." Sasuke smirked.

"You better hope not. But just for your sake, I'm giving you this." The man reached into one of his pockets and pulled out an envelope. He reached across the table to hand it to Sasuke. Sasuke took it and read the seal on it.

' _This is the seal of the royal family…'_ Sasuke thought as he opened the envelope and looked at its contents.

"…but this isn't until early January." Sasuke said.

"Then you best hope that you don't mess up again for that long."

…./….

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaah yes, the plot has now been thickened.
> 
> Im not quite sure what role I want kurama to play in this, so stay tuned to figure out what the heck im doing there. And as always make sure to follow, like, and review!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, next chapter! I remember someone asked about what swords they carry and they are long swords!
> 
> Not a lot of action in this one, but sets up some more things nonetheless and some nice naruhina action.

Hinata was sitting at her vanity, trying to brush out her hair. The wood was white, with small golden engravings of gold garnished the handles and legs. All of her hair was pulled to the left side as she was brushing it.

"One of these days I'm just going to cut it all of…" she murmured as she brushed through a tangle.

She was in her robe, after taking her bath in the morning. The lavender color matched well with her hair.

The was a knock at the door.

"Princess Hinata, someone has requested an audience with you." A voice said from the other side of the door.

"Come in." Hinata said, putting down her brush and straightening her robe.

A nursemaid opened the door.

"Who is the request from?" Hinata asked, folding her arms.

The nursemaid looked at the paper in her hands.

"… Naruto Uzumaki."

…

Hinata walked down the stairs towards the audience room of the castle. Pillars lined the walls of the room, with banners hanging in between them. The marble chair was at the end of the room, with a silk cushioning it for whoever sat down. It sat on a platform of three steps.

Hinata took her seat, looking into the room. Guards were lined against the wall every twenty feet, something Hinata thought was a bit unnecessary for this audience, but, for formalities sake, she decided to leave them be.

She gave a nod, and the door at the other end of the hall opened.

Naruto stood there, shocked at the grandeur of the room. He walked in slowly, taking it all in. There was a carpet going along the floor he was following, stopping ten feet in front of the steps leading to where Hinata was.

Hinata looked at him almost wanting to laugh at the expression on his face. He seemed totally lost.

"…ah…" Naruto started, staring around the room. The guards seemed to tighten up, seemingly ready to move.

Naruto stared at Hinata, and Hinata mouthed a word to him.

' _bow'_

Naruto seemed to have a realization after that. He straightened his body up, putting his feet together. He did a slow bow, halfway to parallel. Hinata waited a moment, then nodded her head.

She breathed in.

"Your audience had been approved, what is it that has brought you to me?" She spoke. The line is what was always said at the beginning of an audience, something that Hinata knew Naruto wouldn't understand.

"…Erm, I just wanted to see how you were… it's been a week since we returned back."

Hinata got up out of her chair, walking down in front of Naruto.

"I'm assuming you don't have a request of any kind, or a complaint you want addressed?" Hinata asked him quietly.

Naruto thought for a moment before answering. "Not really, no."

Hinata laughed slightly before speaking to the room.

"Guards, you are dismissed. I will be taking him on a tour of the castle personally. You are free to go." Hinata spoke, turning around and gesturing Naruto to follow her.

One of the guards stuttered. "B-but Princess!"

"Do not worry, Naruto is a member of the royal military." She said, before opening the side door, leading both of them away.

She closed the door behind them. They we're in a hallway that lead to the ballroom. Stairs lead down to the royal dining hall.

"Why are you taking me on a tour?" Naruto asked, confused.

"I just wanted to talk with you, is that okay?" She asked, a bit worried.

"Oh! That's all I really wanted to do, but it seemed there was no other way to do that aside from that audience thing." He said, laughing a bit.

Hinata smiled. "Have you ever been in the castle for anything?" She asked as she started walking.

"Only the room we just were in. I thought that room was fancy, but look at this hallway!" he yelled, spreading his arms.

There were windows lining the hall, with silken curtains billowing from the wind of the open glass.

"The view is great from this hall too!" She said, lifting her dress slightly as she ran towards the open windows. Naruto followed behind her.

She sat down on the ledge, swinging her legs around to the other side. Her dress flowed in the wind as her feet dangled over the window sill.

Naruto took in the view. The windows overlooked the forests surrounding the capital city, and a bit further there was a lake. You could see the sun glistening over the lake's surface.

"Yeah, this is awesome!" Naruto yelled with a grin on his face.

"My sister and I would play in this hallway whenever we were bored. Our father would always yell at us when we left toys here." Hinata said as the wind blew by.

"That reminds me of when Sasuke and I would do the same thing… leave toys around that is." Naruto mentioned, sitting on the window sill with Hinata.

"Sasuke? Did you know each other growing up?" Hinata asked, turning her head towards him.

"Yeah… whenever we were in the orphanage together, we were sort of like friends, at least I always thought we were. He probably hated me though. We would play fight with wooden swords and stuff all the time… of course I would win." Naruto gloated. "Then I got kicked out for bad behavior and I never saw him again until we started the training camp for the military. Then we went from play fighting to actual fighting."

"I'm assuming you still won?" Hinata asked.

"Of course!"

Hinata laughed, spinning herself around back in the castle. She could see Naruto getting removed from the orphanage for bad behavior, especially seeing how he acts around Sasuke.

"Hey, where are we going now?" Naruto asked, jumping down from the window sill.

"Not sure…" Hinata replied, thinking.

Suddenly the bell tower chimed from the eastern side of the city, filling the hallway with its chime. The sound echoed off the stone floors and marble walls. It chimed ten times.

Naruto was caught up in the sound of everything, caught off guard by the sound.

"I've never heard the bell sound so nice! From my place it just sounds annoying." Naruto said, enjoying the sound.

"Yeah, this hallway is great or the bell tower. The sound echoes nicely…" Hinata said, waiting for the echo to dissipate.

"Come on, lets head to the ballroom." Hinata said, starting down the hall.

"Sure!"

….

Danzo stood there, watching as the two went down the hallway. His eyes glared at them, disgusted at the sight.

' _How dare that monster be allowed to spend time with her…'_

….

Hinata stood on the balcony, watching over the city as people went home for the day, running and on horseback, making their way to wherever they were going. The city streets buzzed as the traffic of people went, a murmur could be heard from where she was in the castle. Some shops had just opened for the night, and customers were already pouring in.

She turned to the man next to her, who was also watching the people in the streets.

Naruto thought in his head while watching the crowd of people going home.

' _How did I get here, alone with the eldest princess in our country? I mean, I haven't had this much fun in such a long time, I don't even think that I can remember one. I want… to keep having days like this.'_ He grabbed at his stomach. _'But… I have to tell her sooner rather than later. It she found out now and resented me, that would be better than later and I can't stand to…'_

"Is something wrong?"

Naruto snapped out of his stare, looking over at her. Her hand was extended, almost about to touch him.

"Oh! Yeah I'm fine, just… thinking." He started, his voice dipping off. His eyes looked downward, not wanting to look at her.

"You seem really out of it, are you sure you don't need to it down or something?" She asked with concern.

"No, I just…" He lifted his head up. "I have something to tell you."

Hinata's eyes widened slightly, her face feeling hotter than normal. She hoped he didn't notice.

"O-okay… what is it?"

"I… I really had a great time today."

"Oh, I had a great time too! Actually, I wanted to give you something." Hinata said, walking towards the door into the castle from the balcony. "Just wait for a moment!"

Naruto watched her walk away, smiling contently as she left the balcony.

" _ **Idiot, you need to tell her."**_ _Kurama told him._

" _I will, just not today." Naruto replied. "Today was too great, I didn't want to ruin it."_

" _ **If you wait too long, you'll ruin a lot more than just one day…"**_ _Kurama pointed out._ _ **"You like her, don't you, Naruto?"**_

_Naruto stayed silent._

"I'm back!" Hinata said as she opened the doors back outside.

Naruto looked over at her, and met her halfway.

Hinata held out an envelope, looking up at him. "This is for you."

Naruto took the envelope, looking at it in confusion.

' _The royal seal…'_ Naruto thought. He opened the envelope to look at its contents. HE pulled them out to read it.

"This shall act as your invitation to… The Royal Family's Winter Ball…?" Naruto looked at Hinata in confusion.

"I don't understand… you're inviting me to such a fancy event?" Naruto asked.

"A-as my date… if that's okay. I don't really know of anyone else I would ask, but father says I must have one." She responded, a bit nervous.

Naruto's eyes darted between her and the invitation in his hand before he smiled.

"I mean, I'll have to buy a suit and make sure to clean up an I don't know if I really want to do that… but for you I guess I will." Naruto joked with her.

Her face lit up as he agreed, and she gave him a hug.

"I'm glad that you said yes!" She told him, letting him out of her hug.

At that moment, the balcony door swung open.

"HinaaaAAATa, Father sa-" Hanabi yelled out, but stopped as soon as she saw Hinata was with someone.

"H-Hanabi!" Hinata exclaimed, adding more space between her and Naruto as she straightened herself out.

"Whose thiiiis?" Hanabi asked, circling between Hinata and Naruto.

"Oh… he is one of the guards and a… a good friend, that's all!" Hinata told her.

"And what's your name… Mr. Friend?" Hanabi asked, getting closer to Naruto's face than he would like.

"Er… Naruto…" Naruto said, backing up from Hanabi.

"Anyway, Hanabi, you said something about father?" Hinata asked, grabbing her little sister's shoulder.

"Oh yeah, he's just summoned us for dinner." She stated. Hinata let out a sigh.

"I'll make sure a guard escorts you out, thank you for the lovely day." Hinata said. "Come on Hanabi, we don't want to keep father waiting." She told her, turning her sister around and walking her back inside.

"Byyyeeee Mr. Naruto!" Hanabi said before Hinata shoved her inside.

Naruto stared down at the envelope in his hand, thinking about what he would need to do to prepare for it, as he did have two months to prepare.

Naruto smiled.

"A good friend."


	9. Chapter 9

The sound of metal clashing together echoed throughout the training grounds. The closer you got to the source, the more you heard. Grunts, coughs, and small snickers.

'Training Room 3' said the door outside.

Inside Sakura stood against the wall, watching the two fighting in the middle. She had a smirk on her face, watching them go back and forth, clashing together.

"Sakura!"

Sakura turned her face towards who said her name.

"Oh! Tsunade, did you need something?" Sakura asked, kicking herself off the wooden wall, facing towards her.

…

Naruto ducked under Sasuke's attack, trying to sweep his feet. Sasuke pivoted around to the left, avoiding the attack. Naruto held his sword up parallel to the ground, blocking Sasuke's attack from the side.

They stood there, looking at each other.

"I gotta say Sasuke… you've gotten better…" Naruto panted.

"It doesn't matter how good I am… you'd lose to me no matter what…" Sasuke responded.

"Oh yeah? We'll see" Naruto gave Sasuke a look of determination.

They jumped back, and ran back at each other- blocking, left and right.

Sasuke turned suddenly, knocking Naruto on the back with his hilt. Naruto stumbled forward, catching himself on the ground with his left hand. He spun around to face Sasuke, and found the tip of Sasuke's sword in his face. Naruto kicked off the ground, knocking Sasuke's arm to his left.

Naruto rolled out of the way opposite of Sasuke, getting to his feet. They charged at each other again. Sasuke swung first, and Naruto dipped to the side at the last second to avoid it. Naruto swept Sasuke's feet, landing him on his back in a thud.

Sasuke closed his eyes for a second while the pain from the ground went through his body, but when he opened them he saw Naruto on top of him.

Naruto threw his sword into the ground, just hairs away from Sasuke's face.

They stared at each other, Sasuke breathing heavy. Naruto smirked.

"What were you saying?" Naruto joked.

"Why you-"

Sasuke was caught off by clapping from the sidelines. They turned their heads to see Sakura and Tsunade approaching them.

"What a show you two, good match." Tsunade said, putting a hand on her hip.

"My money was on Sasuke… but good job anyway Naruto." Sakura said.

Naruto got off of Sasuke, taking his sword from the ground. He extended a hand to Sasuke. Sasuke stared at it before rolling off to the side, getting up on his own. Naruto stood there shocked for a moment before slowly returned his hand to the side.

"Anyway, I need a favor of you two." Tsunade said, getting their attention.

"And what's that?" Sasuke asked, patting his clothes from the dirt.

"I would ask all three of you, but I'm taking Sakura with me as my pupil, bu-"

"Whoa Sakura, Old Lady Tsunade took you on as her own pupil? That's amazing!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sakura knocked his head.

"You idiot, let her finish! …Sorry Tsunade." Sakura said.

"And don't call me old…" Tsunade said under her breath. "Anyway, I need you two to work security for the Royal Family Winter Ball."

Naruto stared at the ceiling, squinting his eyes.

"The royal family winter…" He thought out loud. "Ah, Sorry but I can't." Naruto replied with a smile. "Since I'm going to it."

"What?!" All three seemed to say in unison. Naruto stood there looking at them, confused by their reaction.

"Naruto, it's by invitation only, you can't just show up!" Sakura told him.

"No no, I got an invitation!" He explained, holding his hands up in defense.

"…I was invited as well… who invited you?" Sasuke asked, glaring at Naruto.

"Mmm… I don't know if I want to tell you or not." Naruto mocked.

Tsunade sighed, crossing her arms.

"Well now I have to go find two other guards to work… I'll see you three later." Tsunade moped as she walked away.

Sasuke stood there, glaring at Naruto as he talked to Sakura. He didn't know what they were really talking about, he just knew it would be trouble if he was there.

…

Naruto walked back from the training grounds to his home. The snow was stuffed into the cracks of the bricks lining the city streets. None had fallen in a week, but more was surely on its way. The new coat he bought, which was lined with sheep skin like Hinata told him hers was, kept him warm as the wind blew and the sun set. He turned the corner, taking a shortcut through a back alley to his home. He just had to jump a fence would be home in minutes.

Except when he noticed someone was two feet in front of him.

He stood there, almost as if he was waiting.

Naruto stopped suddenly when he realized someone was there. Naruto tried to look at his face, making out what he could. The only thing he could tell was the height- just slightly taller than he was.

"…You want something?" Naruto asked cautiously.

"Naruto." He said as he walked forward.

"Oh, Sasuke." Naruto sighed in relief. "You need to stop being so creepy all the time." Naruto said as he tried to walk past him.

Sasuke put a hand out, blocking Naruto in the chest.

"What are yo-"

"Who invited you to the Winter Ball?" Sasuke asked, turning his head slightly towards Naruto.

"Sasuke, what the hell are yo-" Naruto put his hand on Sasuke's arm.

"Answer me!" Sasuke yelled, pushing Naruto backwards. Naruto glared at him, pushing Sasuke's arm off his chest.

"… Hinata did." Naruto said lowly, still glaring at Sasuke.

Sasuke walked forward closer to Naruto's face. Naruto didn't move.

"I would recommend you not go." Sasuke told him. "You don't want to embarrass yourself."

Sasuke turned and walked back into the street, making his way south. Naruto continued to watch him until he couldn't see Sasuke anymore.

' _The hell was that about?' Naruto thought._

" _ **I don't know… but I don't like it at all."**_ _Kurama said._ _ **"But who knows, maybe he just likes the princess as well."**_ _Kurama laughed._

" _Kurama I keep telling you, we're just good friends, she said it herself. Dumb fox."_

" _ **If you say so." Kurama replied. "Still… keep an eye on that Sasuke. I never liked him."**_

Naruto wished he could go back to where he and Sasuke we close friends, when they would play together, and sleep on beds right next to each other so they could tell each other stories at night.

But that was long ago, and they had both grown up. Both of them were nineteen now, they didn't have time for stories anymore.

He sighed before turning towards the fence.

Naruto jumped the fence, turned a few other corners and started up the stairs. He opened the old door that lead into the office building of his addition.

"Ah! Naruto…" The old woman working at the desk said before Naruto continued down the hallway to his small apartment. Naruto turned and walked towards the wooden counter, the floor squeaking as he walked off the rug.

"A man in fancy dress came by to drop off this letter for you earlier." She spoke, handing it to Naruto.

"Thanks for holding it for me!" Naruto said before waving her off. "You have a good night Tamo."

"You as well Naruto."

Naruto stared at the letter as he walked down the hall.

' _More from the royal family?'_ Naruto thought in his head, looking at the seal on the envelope.

He opened the door to his room, setting the letter down on the counter and taking off his shoes at the door. He walked over to the cabinet, staring at the food he had… which wasn't a lot. He sighed, realizing he forgot to pick up groceries on the way home thanks to the Sasuke encounter.

Naruto grabbed some bread and jam from the cabinet, grabbing the letter and taking a seat on the old couch he had, opening it with the knife he had before using it to put the jam on his bread.

Naruto pulled the letter out and read over it. It was a summons for two days from now.

' _Why am I being summoned to the castle?'_ he thought, shoving bread in his mouth.

…..

"Who invited him?!" The man said, slamming his fist down on the table in front of him.

"I told you, Princess Hinata herself did!" Sasuke yelled at him, holding his head in his hand. "I can't even think as to how I'm supposed to get close with her if he's there all night…"

"God dammit… I just need her dead… but it can't be any accident, it has to be by someone close to her." The man said as he started to pace.

"Why can't you do it? You're close to her every day _and_ her father and sister." Sasuke asked, running a hand through his hair.

"The father is going to die soon enough, that I know. We can't kill her until that happens. The younger sibling won't work, she isn't significant enough to other nations, she isn't the successor." The man sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you this?"

"I'm just impatient… I want revenge." Sasuke murmured, getting up from his seat.

The man walked around the table, focusing on Sasuke.

"And Sasuke I can promise you that revenge as long as this plan goes through flawlessly. You will have your revenge on them and every other royal family, just trust me." He said, staring at Sasuke, inches away from his face.

Sasuke sighed. "You better hope it does."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the shorter than normal chapter, but I just didn't feel comfortable really adding more to it, since the next scene I wanted to write would be about 1000 words extra and I feel like that'd be just a biiiit much.
> 
> Also Tamo is a made up character with no significance, I just felt like she needed a name. She might have a total of 5 lines in this entire thing.


	10. Chapter 10

Naruto walked towards the front gates of the castle, as his summons instructed. He was to give it to the guard at the front of the gate and he was supposed to know what to do from there. The walkway was all bricked, laid by hand. While most of the other pathways in the capital were the same gray color, these were whiter, and they seemed to never be dirty.

Along the side of the pathway were bushes that seemed to never die, regardless of the seasons. In the spring they bloomed flowers, but the leaves never changed colors. Behind the row of bushes were trees, and these did lose their leaves in the end. Right now they were completely barren and a dark brown. They sat taller than him.

He always liked this walk. It was calm and pretty and always put him in a good mood. He never got to walk it much, since the entrance he usually used was off to the side, closer to the Military buildings on the grounds. But every chance he got, he would walk this way.

He approached the gates, and two of his fellow soldiers were there standing watch. The guards that stood at the entrances of the castle were always the fanciest dressed, Naruto thought. They both were fully armored, something he thought was necessary for winter but in the summer seamed just dreadful, with golden capes draped of their shoulders. Their swords were always visible so anyone approaching knew they were armed.

"…Naruto? What are you doing here? You know this isn't the entrance for soldiers." One of the guards spoke.

"Wha-… Kakashi? They have you out here?" Naruto responded, recognizing the voice.

"Unfortunately… but it's just for today, the usual guard had something come up, so they filled me in, right, Izumo?"

"Yeah, Kotetsu came by my place last night and told me he couldn't be in today." Izumo said, trying to laugh it off.

"Anyway, why are you here?" Kakashi turned back towards Naruto.

"Oh, I got a letter!" Naruto said as he reached into his coats pocket, grabbing the envelope. He handed it over to Kakashi.

"You've been summoned I see… Well, follow me." Kakashi said. He opened the gates to the castle grounds, slightly wincing as they squeaked.

Naruto followed him up the staircase and inside the doors leading to the grand hallway. Naruto looked at all the portraits hanging on either side of the wall, all of the royal families that once ruled here.

The last of course was Hiashi and his family. His was different as the queen was not portrayed in the painting. Naruto assumed it was done after she died.

He also rather enjoyed Hinata with the short hair that was in the painting. Hanabi was rather young so he was surprised she stood still long enough for a portrait.

They turned to the left at the end of the hallway and went down another hall, leading to a few other doors.

"Do you ever get lost in here?" Naruto asked Kakashi.

"A long time ago I did, but now it's just like knowing your way around the streets." Kakashi told him, stopping in front of a door to the right.

"Anyway, this is your destination." Kakashi told him, gesturing him to open the door. "Just go in and wait."

Naruto gave a slight bow to Kakashi before he left. He reached for the handle of the door which was much heavier than the ones he's used to. He turned it, opening one of the double doors into the room.

The lights were on, which he thought was a good sign. He didn't know what he was expecting, and he was sure Hinata was behind this, but for some reason he couldn't shake the idea of a single chair in a dimply lit room and three or four people telling him he was in trouble.

"You're here!" Hinata happily said, turning towards him. Naruto looked over to the corner of the room to his left where Hinata was.

"Hinata!"

She seemed more casual than normal. Her dress just a single piece of fabric cinched at the waist, colored in a light purple. Her hair was pulled back in some sort of ponytail-bun formation. Naruto didn't understand what held it in place, but he didn't question it.

"What are you doing in the corner?" He asked, walking towards her.

"Oh, there's a panel here, like shortcuts through the castle, see?" She answered as she pushed the wall, showing that it did open up. It lead down a rather small corridor.

"That's… really cool. So that's how you get around so fast?" he asked her.

"You guessed right. Anyway, sorry about the formality of the summons, I just didn't have time to write something with the preparations for the Ball. However, I brought you here to teach you something." She explained, making her way towards the front of the room.

"Yeah? What's that?" Naruto asked.

"Well... since the royal family is hosting the event, they start off the evening with a dance. It's just usually father and I who start the dance, in a sort of Father/daughter dance."

"Really?" Naruto asked, joining her in the middle of the floor.

"Mmhm, I think he is just rather lazy and does not want to find someone to dance with him. But he is wanting us to perform the first dance with him and Tsunade." She told him.

"Old lady Tsunade dancing? She so rough I can't even imagine it!" Naruto said with a laugh. Hinata slightly laughed as well.

"Well… the point being is that we both have to perform a dance together while everyone else watches." Hinata explained, and she saw Naruto's smile drop slightly.

"Oh… is that all?" Naruto asked her, and she could see his confidence dropping. Hinata laughed.

"Don't worry, that's why I'm teaching it to you now and not later." She said, approaching him. She stopped a few inches in front of him, and looked at him.

"We'll start like this in the middle of the room." She grabbed his hand, and positioned it up next to his shoulder, and they hands were flat against each other's.

"The hands go first, remember that." She told him. He nodded his head. "Now, my hand goes on your shoulder, yours goes on my waist."

Naruto placed his hand hesitantly on her, barely touching her side. She giggled at him.

"Not like that." She said, taking his hand and pressing it against her waist firmly. Naruto thought it was weird that his hand could wrap around her like it did. "Like that."

"Alright, so far so good." Naruto said, not quite believing his own words.

"And now, we move." She told him.

Hinata lead him through it the first time. Most was pretty simple, as it was mainly remembering what direction the steps were in. There was a moment where he twirled her inward so she was facing away from him, and a portion of the dance was in that position. There were a few other maneuvers, but Hinata wanted to get down the basics first before she taught him the more complicated things.

It seemed like hours before she got to that point.

…

Naruto laid down on the wooden floor they were practicing on, exhausted. He closed his eyes thinking to himself ' _what did I agree to?'_ He wiped his forehead of the sweat, giving himself a moment. He could hear Hinata sit down next to him. He looked over at her.

She looked no different than what she did when they first started. Not a hint of exhaustion on her anywhere. She was sitting on her knees, with her hands perfectly folded in her lap.

"How can… you not be tired? We've been at it for hours." He huffed out.

"I was thinking the same thing after looking at yourself. Maybe I'm just used to dancing all the time this doesn't seem so bad." She explained.

Naruto grunted, getting off his back and facing her.

"Well, at least now I have it. Is there anything else I have to do?" He asked, finally catching his breath.

"Well… not really. You just have to be polite to everyone, but you do not have to know their names or anything like that, that's my job." She explained. Oh, that reminds me! She said, digging into the pocket of her dress. She handed Naruto a slip of paper.

"Just take that to the tailor shop in town, they'll make your formal wear at no cost to you." She explained. He looked at the paper she had given him. There was a royal seal on the bottom of it, marking it as official.

"Thanks! I'm glad I haven't bought one yet!" He told her. In reality he was dreading having to get one because of the cost, so he was elated she had given this to him. She smiled at him.

"We can run it one more time, then we can call it a day." She told him, getting up off her knees.

…

"Do you understand that Sasuke?"

Sasuke stared down at the stone floor. The small light from the candles didn't help the heavy words that were just spoken to him. How was this the plan they were supposed to follow?

"You're asking me to do that?" Sasuke replied softly.

"Sasuke I am not only asking, I am expecting you to. If you do not, the entire plan is ruined. I will hold up my end, and I am prepared for the consequences. You must do this, Sasuke." The man came over to Sasuke, placing a hand on his shoulder. Sasuke shoved it off.

"I just... wasn't prepared to kill someone so soon… and after that, then what do I do? I can't do this entire thing o-" Sasuke started.

"Sasuke you knew what you we're getting into when we first started this. You know what your life is going to be like after you kill the princess, and your life will be one of hiding and solitude, just like you wanted." The man said. "I mean, you're so close to that life already, it won't change much."

Sasuke stared down still. He would be a murderer after that ball. It made sense to pull it off that night, with all the other dignitaries there, but he just didn't know if he could do it when the time came.

"Sasuke, you have to do it. These are the people that sent your brother to his death. You can't just forgive them, can you? Just let all of what they did slide by?"

Sasuke clenched his fist. The pain in his chest from his brother's death never went away. It still hurts, even now.

"…No."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaah once again the plot thickens! Not sure if I want to put a chapter in between the ball or not…
> 
> I probably will actually. So be looking for it! Chapter updates are going to slow down a bit next week because I have an obligation unfortunately, but stay tuned for more!
> 
> Also someone has asked about linking the story to tumblr, which I have been doing, so if you want that, here's this chapter. - post/152073324794/your-majesty-ch-10


	11. Chapter 11

Naruto laid on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He stared at the dust in the rafters above, not paying it any attention. He knew it was late, past three in the morning, but no matter how much he tried, he couldn't fall asleep. His mind kept wandering and wandering back to one phrase.

_"You don't want to embarrass yourself."_

That whole scene from that night kept playing in his head over and over since it happened. Ever since then Sasuke has avoided him, refusing to speak or spar with him, and while he always knew Sasuke to be silent and to himself, this was strange even for him.

" _Whats going on with him…"_ Naruto thought. He sighed, turning onto his side. The bed squeaked with his movements, but Naruto didn't mind it. He had dealt with the noise for years so it was almost like it didn't exist.

Naruto closed his eyes trying to get some sleep. He figured tonight was especially bad since the ball was tomorrow. He had practiced that dance with Hinata twice a week for the past month and was fairly confident everything would be fine. His eyes drifted open again, and stared at a box placed in the corner of his room. It had his suit tucked away inside it. He had picked it up from the tailors a few days ago.

He felt like he was prepared for anything that could happen that night, and Hinata would be there to tell him if he needed to say anything or do something differently. Everything would be fine.

He sighed again, wandering back to Sasuke.

He remembered a time where he and Sasuke play fought down the staircase at the orphanage, having little wooden swords to play with. Sasuke fell first, and since he was up higher on the stairs than Naruto was, he came crashing into him. They landed on a pile of the floor, laughing at each other.

He remembered their first day of soldier training. They had to spar against someone randomly, and he and Sasuke were the ones fighting each other. Naruto could barely recognize Sasuke. His face was much more harsh and stern. His eyes seemed to never leave one target. As soon as the fight started however, Naruto knew it was Sasuke. He fought exactly like he did so many years ago. Aggressive, and always trying to get behind you. Naruto felt like he didn't change much in that respect either.

Naruto tried to catch up to Sasuke after that match, but Sasuke never wanted to talk about what happened in the past, so it was never brought up again. But ever since graduation, it seemed like Sasuke kept growing more distant, colder to him.

' _I just don't understand what happened…" Naruto thought._

" _ **I'm telling you kid, that Sasuke is bad news. Ever since you met back up with him, I could feel it."**_ _Kurama said._

" _I don't want to say you're right, but I also can't think that way about one of my oldest friends." Naruto told him in a huff._

" _ **He doesn't seem to think he's your friend."**_ _Kurama pointed out._

" _I think I just need to knock some sense into him, figure out what's going on."_

" _ **You need to watch out for him tomorrow night, I don't trust him at all."**_ _Kurama warned._

Naruto hate to agree with Kurama, but he couldn't shake that feeling either.

Naruto rolled back onto his back, staring back at the rafters above him. He closed his eyes for the last time that night, finally going to sleep.

…

Sasuke was pacing back and forth in his empty home, running thoughts through his head. His head went through all the different scenarios that he could come up with when they carried out their plan. The only thing he couldn't account for was one thing. And that was Naruto.

He was too unpredictable, too good at thinking on his feet, too close to their goal.

Sasuke sighed and sat down on his bed. The only thing he could think of to deal with Naruto was to get him separated from everyone else, but how was he going to do that?

He turned his head over and stared at a picture of him and his brother.

They must have been three and seven at the time the photo was taken. They were both smiling, Sasuke hanging onto his brothers back.

He remembered a time he wanted to shred that picture, to burn it and just fester hate for his brother. He remembered all the times when he was in the orphanage and he stared at that picture, thinking about how his older brother betrayed him and their family.

But so many years later Sasuke learned the truth.

' _Itachi…'_ Sasuke thought.

He remembered that night so well... he was five years old, Itachi was ten. He was the youngest person to ever graduate as a soldier. Not only that, but since he was still a kid he was extremely useful for infiltration assignments. All enemies thought he was a lost kid or never saw him as a threat.

And that was the last thing they ever did.

Sasuke could remember so clearly when their parents died. Itachi wasn't there. They were robbed on the streets and murdered on the spot. Someone had heard the commotion before they got to Sasuke, so he was spared. He never was able to look at the person who had done it, and he was never caught. His parents' blood was on him, and it seemed to never wash off. Like a permanent stain on his skin.

Itachi didn't return home until days after. He never said a word to Sasuke, never even looked at him for the few days he was around.

Then he just leaves Sasuke, never coming home again. Sasuke hated his brother for abandoning him like that, forcing him to live in an orphanage. Not a day went by that Sasuke didn't think about Itachi, waiting for the day they would meet again. Sasuke didn't want a happy reunion at that time. He wanted answers and he wanted revenge from his brother.

Sasuke put a hand on his forehead, rubbing the spot that Itachi used to poke. His eyes closed. Sasuke thought of the memories he and his brother shared. Sasuke earning how to fight from Itachi, them playing together in the halls of their home, breaking things and getting scolded together. All of which Sasuke knew Itachi thought about daily.

Sasuke made his decision. His brother sacrificed it all for him, so he was going to do the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh jeez short chapter, and we learn more about Sasuke! Obviously I want to keep with the same kind of character relationships, but I didn't want Itachi to kill everyone again, so that's not what happened I can tell you right now.
> 
> I cant tell you when the next chapter will come out, since I usually work on these during this two hour down period I have, but that is getting replaced with something more urgent I need to work on for the coming week.
> 
> BUT stay tuned, it'll be out soon. I've had the next few chapters planned out for a while, so they shouldn't take that long to write.


	12. Chapter 12

He stared at himself in the mirror, looking himself up and down. For whatever reason he just couldn't picture himself in this outfit, even though he was wearing it. The outfit itself had about three layers to it, and was extremely hot.

The shirt underneath everything was long sleeved, and it buttoned down. It was completely white, probably the whitest thing he had ever owned. The shirt was light and breathable, compared to the rest of the outfit. There was a vest over that shirt, covering up his torso. The vest was made from a scratchy material he thought was wool and was dyed a dark green color. It had three gold buttons along the front, engraved with a garland surrounding the edges. Over that to top it all off was the jacket, which seemed to also be made of wool. That was black, with a collar around his neck that folded down into the lapels. There was a top lapel that folded over the bottom one that ended halfway down the jacket. The same gold buttons held it together. The back went off into to tails, hitting right above his calf.

Naruto stared at himself and thought he looked ridiculous. This was the most expensive thing he ever owned and he couldn't bring himself to like it. It wasn't comfortable, it was hot, and he couldn't move his arms freely. Everything felt constrained.

He sighed, walking to his front door, reaching for the handle before he heard a voice. He stopped moving so he could listen to whoever it was talking, his hand still stretched for the door.

"I never would have thought this boy would get an invitation to the Royal Family's ball…." The voice said.

Naruto could recognize the voice by its low and gritty texture, he knew it was Tamo.

She knocked on his door. It was quiet at first but the noise grew as she continued to knock.

"Naruto, someone is here waiting for you! I hope you're no-" She started as she kept hitting the door.

Naruto laughed from behind the door at how impatient she was getting in her old age. He opened the door on her mid-sentence.

"Oh my, look at how lovely you look!" She told him, stepping back to look him over.

He smiled at her. "You act like I don't wear this every day."

She laughed as she gestured someone over to him. Naruto looked over at a man in a coat, and from the looks of the coat, it was snowing outside. The Man slightly bowed to Naruto, and he did the same.

"Mr. Uzumaki, I will be your escort for the evening." He spoke.

Naruto looked hesitantly at him, not sure what he meant. He glanced down at Tamo, and she was trying not to laugh.

"He's driving you to your dance." She explained. "I saw the carriage outside and my does it look fancy."

Naruto dropped his shoulders in relief, looking back at the man. The man told him "It was a request by Princess Hinata herself that you be escorted." He said. "So let's make haste, we do not want to be late." He waged a finger in the air as he turned around. Naruto, finding it odd, mocked the gesture as he followed the man. Tamo laughed as she watched them leave.

Naruto went down the stairs and looked out into the street. His eyes widened as he saw the carriage that was in front of him. It looked regal and new. The wood was curved into the metal that held it together, the inside was lined with velvet, and the door seemed to have a gold handle. There was small embellishes all around it of leaves and berries, sometimes even horses. The caps on the wheels were silver. At the front were two horses, Clydesdales- which he knew were Hinata's favorite, with feet, chest and the center of their face being white, the rest of them were black.

The man opened the door into the carriage, gesturing Naruto to enter. Naruto hesitated for a moment before walking towards him.

He walked up the small steps attached to the carriage, ducking inside it. It was much warmer than he had expected it to be. On the bench was a note.

He took a seat, not sure how he should sit in a fancy thing like this, and picked up the paper.

" _You didn't think I would make you walk, did you?"_ The note read.

Naruto laughed at the paper before he folded it in his pocket, putting it away inside his jacket.

….

The carriage made its way down the main road to the castle. The bushes were covered in snow on top, their dark green leaves still as vibrant as ever. The trees had snow on them as well, but they had small lanterns hung along them, lighting up the snow in an orange hue.

There was a line of carriages leading this way, and Naruto could only guess they were other dignitaries. Town leaders, other royal families, higher up military than he was.

He gulped as they stopped.

Naruto leaned his head to see out the side window, staring at the interaction that was happening. His driver was talking to someone standing there, but Naruto didn't know who it was. With a nod, his driver walked towards him, opening the door of the carriage. He quickly straightened himself up, as to not appear to be eavesdropping.

"Mr. Uzumaki, we have arrived." The man said, gesturing Naruto to leave.

"Ah, so we have." He replied, trying to sound more elite. Naruto slid off the velvet seat and ducked his head out, immediately getting hit by the cold. He tried not to let it bother him, and it wasn't that hard with his wool getup, but his face was freezing,

The man that his driving was speaking to turned to Naruto with a bow. Naruto bowed back.

"Right this way, we have something special arranged for you."

Naruto began to wonder how many more special things would happen tonight. First it was the suit, then the carriage ride, and now this. He straightened himself up.

"You lead and I'll follow."

….

Sakura looked around, trying to see who she recognized. The room was filled with people scattered around in clumps. All seemed to be holding some drink that Sakura could only guess was wine. The huge pillars that lined the room were decorated in wreaths just as big as Sakura herself. The room was well lit, with banquet tables on one side, completely lavished in linens, silver utensils, plates, and crystal glasses. She was mainly looking for two people, but the only person she recognized so far was Tsunade, and she entered with her. She stretched her neck, trying to find her friends, but couldn't find even a trace.

She huffed.

Tsunade turned to her with a smirk. "Are you eyeing for Sasuke?" She asked, jokingly. She saw Sakura blush.

"And Naruto too, they're both my friends!" Sakura defended, slightly caught off guard.

Tsunade laughed. "Trust me, you look too good for him not to come and find you!"

Sakura smiled at her comment. She really enjoyed spending time with Tsunade, even though she can be absolutely terrifying.

Tsunade's comment wasn't ill placed either. Sakura was wearing a gold dress that hung off her shoulders. It was garnished in green jeweling throughout, and it extended down her arms. The fabric expanded once it got passed her hips into a ball-gown look. Her short hair was straight, pinned back at the sides. Small pearls hung from her ears.

Sakura felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped at the feeling, being surprised by it. Before she could turn around she heard her name.

"Sakura."

She was relieved when she heard the voice. She turned around and saw Sasuke there, looking down at her.

"Sasuke, I've been looking everywhere for you!" Sakura said, trying to hug him. He didn't hug back, but accepted hers, nonetheless. Sakura could feel her face scratching against Sasuke's jacket, assuming it was wool. It made her cut the hug short.

"What about Naruto, is he here yet?" Sakura asked, straightening up from their hug.

Tsunade interrupted their conversation for a moment. "I'm going to go find where everyone is getting this wine from. You probably won't see me again until this thing starts." She said with a pat on Sakura's shoulder. Sakura nodded in acknowledgement.

"No I haven't. I was about to ask you the same thing." He told her, looking around for him.

"You don't think he lied about being invited just so he didn't have to work, did you?" Sakura asked, helping Sasuke look.

"No… I'm sure he didn't do that." Sasuke said almost hesitantly.

Sakura looked up at him, catching his hesitancy. She thought it better not to ask.

….

Naruto was escorted to a back room where he could hear the festivities coming from the other side of the wall. There was a massive double door in the center of the wall in front of him. There was a red carpet that started at the back of the room and fed under the door.

He assumed this was where he made his entrance.

"My, don't you look nice." A voice said from behind him. He turned around.

"Old Lady Tsunade, what are you doing here?" He asked, walking over to her. Her hair was tied back per usual and her dress was simple, yet an elegant grey. There was a glass of wine in her hand. For some reason her presence seemed to calm his nerves, even just a little.

"What do you mean what am I doing here? I'm The King's 'Date', what are you doing here? And stop calling me old!" She told him, knocking his head.

"Hinata asked me to come with her tonight! Don't just think I'm _not_ supposed to be here just because I'm not some old hag." Naruto mocked, folding his arms across his chest.

He could see the rage building in Tsunade as she smirked at him. "Listen Brat, I don't care why you're back here, in fact I like it even more! That way I can beat you up and no one has to see it…" she stared at him.

"Oh yeah? I'd like to see you try." Naruto told her, glaring back.

"My, my… what did I just walk into?"

They both froze. They knew that voice too well. They both found it incredibly unlucky that the king of their country walked in at the time they were starting to pick a fight with each other. They weren't really going to fight, it's just how their relationship was.

They both turned around and bowed, profusely apologizing. After a few seconds Hiashi told them

"As you were."

They both stood straight. Hiashi was standing there in an outfit similar to Naruto's. Then again, Naruto thought all the other men looked the same as he did. The only main difference was the gold cords that went across his shoulders, tying into a cape of red that went to his mid-calf. His outer jacket was shorter than Naruto's was in the back, only going to mid-thigh. And of course on his head was the crown of their country.

Naruto always thought it looked ridiculous on King Hiashi's head, but he'd be damned if he said anything.

Naruto looked around behind Hiashi, trying not to make it too obvious that he wasn't looking at him. His plan failed.

"I take it you are the boy that my daughter has decided to bring. She tells me you are the soldier that saved her a month back, is that correct?" He asked. Naruto brought his attention back to Hiashi in a snap. He thought Hiashi's voice was louder for that one question than any one person had ever spoke before.

"Y-yes, Your Majesty." Naruto responded with a bow from his head. Hiashi walked closer to him, and Naruto's heart beat was faster with every step. He tried not to let that show.

Hiashi put a hand on Naruto's shoulder. Naruto winced when he felt the hand on his shoulder, having no idea what to expect. Hiashi let out a small laugh.

"I haven't gotten my chance to formerly thank you. It is good to finally meet you." Hiashi spoke slowly.

Naruto was taken back by the sudden change in tone, and didn't quite know what to say. His eyes glanced over to Tsunade, whose own eyes were wide with surprise.

"Ah, yes well, thank you. I'm sure that anyone else would have done the same thing." Naruto replied, hoping that was a good answer. The king didn't drop his slight smile, so Naruto took that as a good sign. Hiashi removed his hand from his shoulder.

"Hinata will be down momentarily. She was escorting her sister back up to her room. She is too young for this, and she snuck out of her room, still trying to attend." Hiashi sighed.

Naruto never knew the king to be so personable. Maybe it was because of the environment change and he wasn't in front of a huge crowd of people at the moment, like how Naruto usually saw him.

"Father I'm right here." Hinata said, rounding a corner into the room.

She walked in, and Naruto just stared.

Her dress seemed almost see-though at the top. It wrapped around her shoulders, leaving her collar bone exposed. The thin material wrapped its way around her arms, with beading around her shoulders, elbows, and hands. The bodice of her dress wrapped smoothly around her, the gold jeweling, like fireworks, spread from her hips, and then it flowed out into a train behind her. The top layer looked like lace, and had the beading throughout. Underneath was a layer of purple, starting with dark at the top, almost the same as her hair color, and it slowly faded into white as it continued to the floor.

Her hair was completely different from what he was used to seeing. It was typically straight and completely down. Now it cascaded in curls all around. The front pieces were there, curled in front of her face. Behind her ears were strands pulled to the back of her head, pinned in place. The rest of her hair was curled, hitting her mid-back. She had earrings and a necklace on, but they seemed to pale in comparison to the crown on her head. It was plain and simple, coming to a point at the top. There were no fine workings of it, it was just gold.

"You look rather nice." She told him as she walked towards him. He didn't respond, just kept staring. She looked at him confused, realizing he wasn't looking at her face or her crown or her a part of her dress, he was looking at all of her. She started blushed, and turned away.

When she turned away Naruto realized he wasn't saying anything and was trying to gather his thoughts together.

"Oh! Ah... You look nice too!" He told her, a bit shaky. Hinata turned back towards him.

"T-thank you…" She said, rather timid.

"Oh! I liked the carriage ride here, that was really nice of you." Naruto remembered.

"I didn't want you to have to walk in the snow in your new suit…" She told him.

"Yeah I noticed the horses, they we're your favorites, right?" He asked her.

"Oh yes, I think they're lovely horses, Clydesdales." She responded, her face lighting up.

Tsunade and Hiashi watched the interaction happen, Tsunade took a glance over at Hiashi. He seemed to be confused.

"You look confused there." Tsunade pointed out.

"Ah… I've never seen her act like that before." He told her.

"What do you mean? She was always shy, especially around other people. Ever since she was young." Tsunade remembered.

"No, not shy… but almost bashful I would say."

Just then, someone poked their head around the corner of the room.

"Your majesty, are you all ready?" the small man asked, waiting for a response.

Hiashi turned around and looked over at him, turning towards the main doors of the room. Tsunade extended her arm and he took it in his own.

"Why yes I think we are." He said with a sign.

Hinata extended her arm as well, just like Tsunade did. Naruto took it in a similar way that The King did.

"Are you ready?" Hinata asked quietly, looking ahead.

"I have no idea"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright alright! SO the ball I guess hasn't started but everyone is in their places and we are ready to go! The next few chapters are going to be very…. Filled.
> 
> Don't forget to favorite and follow so you don't miss it and leave a review if you like!


	13. Chapter 13

Sakura was tapping her finger on her arm. They were about to announce the entrance of the royal family and she had yet to find Naruto. She couldn't even find Tsunade but she wasn't worried about her, she was probably off in a corner drinking more wine. But it wasn't like Naruto to not show up to something, especially if he said he was going to be there.

Sasuke was standing next to her, seeming more relieved than concerned at the absence of their friend. He still scanned the crowd, looking at all the exits and entrances, mapping out the building.

"I guess he really isn't here." She huffed, folding her arms across her chest.

"I don't want to say you're right, but I can't seem to find him." Sasuke agreed.

They listened as someone read off the names of the royal family, only two of which were joining them tonight. He spoke low and every word seemed to be drawn out in his welcome.

"Who is that talking? I've never seen him before." Sakura asked Sasuke, trying to pass the time.

"I… I believe his name is Danzo. He's like an assistant." Sasuke replied.

"Oh, I didn't know you were so informed of who was who." She told him, surprised he had an answer.

"It's not like I know every single kitchen worker, Sakura."

Just then, two doors opened with a red carpet leading out of them. The first one to enter was King Hiashi, along with Tsunade. Sakura remembered her saying that he had to enter with him for formalities sake, even though she was loathing it. Everyone stood that wasn't already standing and they bowed. Hinata came in after him, walking down the staircase leading to the ballroom.

Sakura and Sasuke lifted their heads from the bow to see their friend walking down the same staircase that their king just walked down as well. He was escorting in the Princess herself, Hinata.

"What?!" Sakura whispered in shock. "The Princess invited him?!"

Sasuke just stood there dumbfounded. He never thought that he might enter with the princess. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling like an idiot.

His whole night just got a whole lot harder.

"I hope he doesn't make a fool of himself" Sakura muttered, staring at them.

…..

They walked down the staircase, and although most people couldn't see it, Naruto was shaking. Every step he took felt like his last. He was shaking enough for Hinata to notice.

"Don't worry" she whispered. "You'll be fine. After this dance all attention is off you." She reminded.

That made him feel a bit better, but not by much.

They walked into the middle of the room, and faced each other. Naruto could hear live music start to play from somewhere in the room. Violins, cello, and various other instruments could be heard. He froze, completely forgetting what he was doing. He looked directly at Hinata.

"Take my hand" She whispered.

Naruto raised his hand and aligned it with Hinata's. Once they touched, everything seemed to click in place. He grabbed her waist, as he remembered, and they began. Out of the corner of his eye he saw That Tsunade and Hiashi were doing the same thing. They swayed for a moment, Naruto spun her in, and they continued to dance. He spun her out and slightly dipped her down, then bringing her up to be level with him.

The dance ended with a bow towards each other, showing respect for one another. They held that position for what seemed like hours, but it was a few seconds. Hinata lifted her body, as Naruto did the same.

Naruto wanted to celebrate that it was over, but suddenly the music changed, and it seemed like everyone was on the floor with them at once.

Hinata squeezed back into Naruto, wanting to not get swept away by someone else. She had him move into the same starting position as before, but their fingers were interlocked instead of spread and open palmed.

"You did great!" She yelled rather loudly. Naruto could only barely hear her.

"You think so? I'm just glad it's over!" He yelled back.

Hinata laughed at him. "Trust me, you knew what you were doing the entire time!" she assured.

Naruto looked around in the crowd at all the different faces and people there. He recognized none of them.

"Do you know all these people by name?" He asked her.

"Most of them. If I don't know their name I should know their title. The only people I don't know are the ones that are here as guests with others." She told him, still yelling.

Suddenly Naruto felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned his head to see Sakura staring at him, dancing with Sasuke.

"We didn't think you were going to show, let alone with the Princess herself!" Sakura yelled at him. She turned her head to Hinata "You look lovely tonight, Your Majesty." She said with a slight bow of her head. Hinata returned the bow.

"As do you."

Sakura turned her attention back to Naruto.

"If I say I'll be there, I'll be there Sakura. I ne-"

"Yes yes, I never go back on my word." She mocked, causing Naruto to smile.

Naruto's eyes made their way to Sasuke's, whom Sakura was dancing with. His eyes trailed across his arms and up to his face.

As soon as their eyes locked it seemed like the atmosphere changed. It was thick and heavy. All noise seemed to be silenced as they stared at each other. It felt like as if time itself had frozen around them. They kept like that for seconds of real time, but hours to them.

_"You don't want to embarrass yourself."_

That same scene played behind Naruto's eyes as he continued to stare.

Sasuke turned back towards Sakura, almost as if it was an annoyance to deal with him. Suddenly all the noise came rushing back in towards Naruto, and he realized Hinata was talking to him. He snapped back towards her.

"Sorry, I… I didn't catch that." He told her truthfully.

"I asked if you were okay, you seemed out of it for a moment." She asked with concern.

Naruto was going to shake it off, not wanting to inconvenience her, but the room was getting rather stuffy with people everywhere. He leaned down towards her ear so he didn't have to yell.

"It is rather crowded in here; is there someone we can go that's less crowded? Just for a few minutes." He asked of her.

She thought for a moment before gesturing to follow her. They walked out of the ballroom through the side entrance of the room. The same side entrance that lead to the hallway with the windows that overlooked the trees.

"Oooh, this hallway." He said as she shut the door behind them.

"The same one from before. The windows are even open." She said, walking over to one. The breeze was cold, but she welcomed it.

"It's so cold outside, why are the windows open?" He asked, walking over towards her.

"Well, all the windows are open to cool down the castle. With so many people here every room seems to be hot." She told him, looking out the window.

The breeze hit him as well, and he thought it was just as refreshing as Hinata did. He looked over at her. Her hair was slightly blowing behind her from the small wind, and her eyes were closed to take it in. The slight moonlight that drifted in from the small openings in the clouds hit against her skin. Naruto thought of when he said that she looked just like every other girl.

Truly an incorrect statement.

He stepped up on the ledge and stood there, taking in the breeze. He looked back at Hinata behind him, putting his hand out.

"Care to join me?" He asked her.

Hinata smiled and took his hand. She stepped up there with him with ease, straightening out her dress.

They stood there, watching the snow gather on the trees in the distance. It was a peaceful snow. The kind where you can hear it hit the ground ever so lightly.

Hinata held on to the back of the window on the inside of the castle as she stretched her arm out, collecting a snowflake. She brought her hand back in and looked at the pattern before it melted from her body heat.

He did the same thing, reached out his hand to grab a snowflake. He brought his hand in to show her before it melted.

"Completely different than mine snowflake, yet they're still the same thing." She said about its pattern as it started to melt.

Their eyes met, seeming to lock into each other.

Then he kissed her.

He didn't plan on doing it, but everything seemed to fall into place. Them alone, snow falling, and the way she looked at him with such respect and endearment, it just seemed like the right thing to do.

It didn't happen fast at all. He slowly raised his hand to her face, pulling her in closer to him. She seemed surprised at first when his lips touched hers, but it wasn't even a second before she kissed him back.

Her hand slid behind his head, pulling him closer. His went around her waist, doing the same thing. They stood there with the snow falling behind them, wrapped together, until Naruto finally had to breathe. His forehead was rested against hers as he took his breath. He opened his eyes to meet hers.

He just realized what he had done.

He pulled away from her fast, his back against the side of the window. She seemed to have a similar reaction. She looked down with her eyes wide, holding a hand to her mouth.

Naruto tried to raise a hand to touch her, not sure if he should.

"I-I sorry! I didn't mean it! I-i-I don't know what came over me!" He tried to defend, but Hinata wasn't paying attention. All she was thinking was _'he kissed me, he kissed me, oh my gosh he really did it'_

The side door opened from the ballroom, and a young castle worker poked his head out through the crack.

"Princess Hinata?" He asked, not seeing her in the hallway.

Hinata jumped at her name slightly, turning into the castle to see who was calling.

"Ah, yes, what can I assist you with?" She asked as both she and Naruto got down from the ledge.

"Ah, dinner is about to be served." He said softly. "Sorry if I interrupted anything."

"You're fine. Thank you." She told him. He held the door open for them as they walked back toward the ballroom.

The made their way through the people still dancing. About half of them were already seated for dinner, the other half were still dancing.

Her father and Tsunade were already at their seats at the head of the table, with two seats next to them for her and Naruto. Hinata took the seat next to her father, and Naruto sat at the end.

As she took her seat her father turned to her.

"Where have you been?" He asked her with concern.

She paused for a moment before answering. "Just getting some fresh air. You know how stuffy this room can get."

Her father nodded in agreement. "I feel like I could use some myself."

Hinata sat down, taking a glance over at Naruto. He seemed to be staring at the empty plate in front of him.

Naruto sat there, ashamed of what he had done. He never intended on doing it, at least not tonight. He felt like the night was ruined for her because of the mistake he made. He wouldn't find it surprising if she resented him for it.

_**Nice one kid, you finally made your move."** _ _Kurama said jokingly._

" _This isn't funny, you know. What if I just made a huge mistake? I can't take that back…" he replied, sulking._

" _ **What if she wanted you to? You don't know that."**_ _Kurama asked._

" _What person just wants to be kissed randomly like that?" He stated._

" _ **Well, she didn't stop you, did she?"**_

Hinata watched him. His facial expressions changed ever so slightly as she watched, almost as if he was having a conversation with himself. She decided to say something.

"I… I rather enjoyed it." She told him.

It took him a moment to comprehend what she had said, he turned his head towards her.

Hinata began to blush as he started to smile. She turned her head forward.

"I-I mean not that I wouldn't have, I just-" She started to defend, but Naruto ended up laughing at her instead. She turned back towards him in confusion. Why was he laughing at her?

He grabbed her hand that was sitting on the arm of her chair.

"Thanks."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaAAAH the kiss finally happened! Theres only about… 3 or 4 more chapters before the next ARC of our story, so keep it up because im about… I don't even know how close I am to done.
> 
> So keep favoriting and following and review for more!


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hah, I hope you all are in for a doozie, because that's what this is.
> 
> Enjoy~~

The ballroom was filled with noise bouncing off of every wall. People were chatting, drinking, and using their silverware. The clinks of forks and the chimes of crystal glasses seemed to be nonstop, and laughter was heard throughout. The noise would have seemed unbearable if you weren't also making some as well.

Naruto sat there, no food in front of him, nothing to cut into, and no reason to make any noise.

He huffed. Sulking his shoulders in as he watched the crowd. They kept talking and laughing, messing with whatever food was on their plate. It was for a few minutes after he started staring that he realized something. Everyone in the room aside from him, Hinata, Tsunade and Hiashi, had all been served food.

But no one was eating it.

People were cutting their steaks or preparing their lobster and chopping their chicken, but no one was eating it.

"Hey, Hinata?" He asked, turning his head towards her.

"Hm?"

"Why is no one eating, I mean they all have their food already." He wondered, feeling how empty his own stomach was.

"Because they do not eat until the head table is served, which is us. We haven't received our food yet as ours is to be the most freshly made." She explained.

"Oh, that's… interesting." He replied, not really understanding why they couldn't have been served first.

"It's just a sign of respect." She told him.

They we're interrupted by plates being put down on top of the ones they already had placed in front of them, each with a different meal on them. They were sat at the same time by four different servers. The plates were hot and the food was steaming. Everything looked extremely fresh.

Naruto noticed that as soon as their plates were sat the noise in the room exploded with people eating. The thought of the situation made him slightly laugh.

He ate his meal and within the first bite he knew that this was the most savory food he has ever eaten. The potatoes were light, the steak was so tender, juicy, and full of flavor. The other side was carrots, and although he didn't care for carrots, even they were sweet and soft and cooked so well.

He glanced over at Hinata who was eating her meal rather daintily, holding her hair back with one hand as she took bites.

He wondered if she ate like this for every meal.

He wondered what she would think if she knew that he had bread with jam on it for full dinner meals sometimes. Growing up, he couldn't afford more than that. Nowadays it wasn't that he couldn't afford different food, he was just so used to eating it that it was habitual almost. He shook his thoughts.

He focused on the tables in front of him. They were all running up and down the room, while their table was angled towards all the others. He had a clear view of just about every face. Sasuke and Sakura were sitting at the table closest to them, a few seats down the lines. They were sitting next to each other and Sakura was talking, but Naruto noticed that Sasuke didn't seem to be listening. It wasn't unusual for her to talk and Sasuke to seem like he wasn't listening, but truthfully he always was.

But this time it looked like he truly wasn't listening.

Naruto remembered Kurama's words to him, to watch Sasuke. He began to get a feeling that he couldn't shake. Kurama was right to be wary, especially after all the strange things he's been saying.

Naruto decided to stay on alert.

He turned his head slightly towards Hinata, not taking his eyes off of Sasuke.

"Hinata." He said, almost as a whisper. She turned her head to look at him. "Don't… just don't go somewhere by yourself tonight." He asked of her, knowing it sounded out of place.

Someone started walking towards them, from behind Naruto.

"What? What do you mean by that?" Hinata asked him. She lifted her head to greet the passerby. He nodded his head.

"Princess." The man said in acknowledgement.

"Danzo." She said in the same tone. He stopped to talk with the king on the other side of Hinata.

Naruto continued. "I just have a feeling I can't shake."

Naruto saw Sasuke glance their direction, but not at him, at something else. Sasuke started to get up. Naruto looked over at Hinata, seeing if that was what he was looking at.

Naruto's eyes caught attention to the conversation happening behind Hinata. Whoever this Danzo guy was, he was speaking softly to the king, bent over near his ear. Naruto watched as the king reacted to the words he was saying, talking equally as quiet. He saw Danzo's hand approach the king's shoulder, as if to rest it there.

Then his hand position changed. Naruto could see something catch the light, something shiny.

Something like metal.

Hinata was confused as he started off behind her, not hearing what she was saying. She kept saying his name but he wasn't paying attention. When his eyes widened, she finally turned to see what he was looking at.

As she turned he heard him yell.

"King Hiashi!" he yelled, trying to warn him. His head turned slightly, but it was too late.

Danzo had stabbed him in the neck, almost as if to make a show of it.

The scream or agony that he let out was just as bad as the scream from Hinata when her father's own blood spattered on her face. The king grabbed his neck, trying to stop the bleeding. He was yelling commands that Naruto didn't understand, and he was cursing the man standing behind him. Tsunade got up from her chair, charging with a fist towards Danzo.

Danzo took his arm, the arm that was always bandaged and slung in his shirt, and put it up almost as if to block her attack.

But as soon as she was inches away from him her fist just stopped. She was stuck in that one pose, punching at an invisible force blocking her from him. Danzo seemed to tighten the muscles in his arm, and she was sent flying across the room, hitting the wall.

The king was getting quieter and quieter with his yelling. He started to sway in his chair before completely falling over onto the table, dead or unconscious no one knew, but he was still bleeding. Blood was dripping from him onto everything that surrounded.

Naruto scanned the room in every direction, trying to find Sasuke. All the guests we in a commotion, yelling and screaming as they tried to flee the room. Danzo held his arm towards the center of the room with his fingers spread. When he closed his fist all the doors in the room closed, even the windows did. Naruto decided he didn't have time to worry about if Sasuke was playing a part in this or not.

He needed to get Hinata out of there.

Naruto grabbed Hinata's arm as Danzo turned his attention to Tsunade, watching as she stumbled to her feet. He tried to pull Hinata away, but she was too in shock to move. Naruto grabbed her behind her chest and under her legs, picking her up and trying to get out of the situation.

"Where are _you_ going?" Danzo yelled out. Naruto could only assume it was directed towards them.

He ran a good fifteen feet before he felt it. It was like the weight of the world was being pressed up his body. He couldn't move.

He could feel it getting stronger as Danzo approached him, wanting the princess for his next life to take. Even if that wasn't the case, he was not letting this man anywhere near her.

He was frustrated. Frustrated and mad about what this man was doing. The King, Tsunade, and now he even wanted to kill Hinata.

He refused to let that happen.

" _Come on Kurama, you better not be taking a nap now!" Naruto yelled at the fox, trying to build strength._

_**Ha! There's no way in hell I'd be napping tonight!" Kurama yelled back.** _

The warmth from Naruto broke Hinata out of shock for a moment. She realized it wasn't his normal body temperature that was doing it, his entire body was getting hotter and hotter by the second. She didn't know why she couldn't move, but the warmth felt safe.

Naruto started grunting as he started moving. Steps at a time, then soon he was running against it.

' _What?! He shouldn't be able to move at all, let alone run!"_ Danzo thought as he tried to increase his own power.

All the guests were in the back of the room, standing against the doors of every exit. Some were prying at them, others were watching everything happen, trembling with fear and shock.

Hinata looked up at Naruto's face. His eyes seemed to be darker, almost red, and the marks on his cheeks we're more pronounced.

She hadn't a clue what was going on.

Naruto didn't have a plan as to where they were going. They were stories off the ground if he tried to break through a window, and he didn't have anything to break the fall with this time. All the doors were locked shut and were surrounded by people. He didn't want to waste the time beating down the door and then putting everyone else in danger because he and the princess were near them. The guards working for the night were locked out, as they were stationed outside the room. He was hoping they'd figure out the doors in the meantime.

For now, head on seemed like his best option.

He stopped his running, and closed his eyes. He placed Hinata on the ground, and she seemed to fall under her own weight. Naruto didn't blame her for it. He bent down to be eye level with her, putting a hand on her face. He could feel her shaking.

"W-what are you doing?" She asked quietly, almost like she was about to cry.

Naruto smiled at her, opening his eyes to look at her face. He saw Hinata's eyes widen. He had expected that.

"Yo-your eyes a-" She started.

"Don't worry about me." He told her, getting up from the ground to face Danzo. He seemed to be almost waiting for him, standing next to the king.

Naruto started walking towards him, and Hinata could see a feint orange aura coming from him, growing with every step.

"I've been wanting to kill you for a long time, fox brat." Danzo told him with a smirk.

Naruto just kept walking.

"But I'd never had imagined that you would have mastered its power." Danzo commented. "But that shouldn't change a thing."

"Danzo held up his arm, pushing him down into the ground. Naruto fell to his knees, making a dent in the flooring below, but it was a matter of seconds before he was back up and walking at the same pace. He was close enough for Danzo to feel the anger from him.

' _Why isn't it working?! Is he really this strong?'_ Danzo thought in his head. Danzo threw up a barrier around him as Naruto got closer.

Naruto started to run. He needed the momentum for this to work.

He punched at Danzo, the same way that Tsunade did. Danzo held his barrier with his arms crossed in front of him. Naruto was halted in midair, but kept pushing towards him.

He started yelling, building more strength in his punch. The orange aura flared up, increasing the force of his punch. Danzo was being pushed into the flooring of the building as it gave way to the pressure.

Then it cracked. Naruto broke through it. His punch landed square on Danzo's face, sending flying backwards into the same wall that Tsunade was pushed into. The wall caved in around him, breaking through to the next room.

The doors of the room unlocked as Danzo laid on the ground. The storm of people leaving the room made the floor shake as they stampeded out of the room.

Naruto knew that was enough to do it for now. People were able to escape, and he had knocked Danzo out, if only for the time being. He panted as Kurama's power flickered down, not wanting to use too much for no reason. His eyes turned back to their normal color and his check markings set back on his skin like normal.

Just one punch was good enough for now.

Guards came rushing into the room, some going to the king that laid on the table, others to Danzo, and a few over to Hinata.

He noticed that Sasuke was there too, but he was over at the King, not Hinata. Naruto was thankful for that. He didn't even have any proof that Sasuke was doing anything bad, but he still wanted to be safe.

Tsunade limped over to him, holding her shoulder. Naruto watched the commotion as the guards removed the rubble from the wall off of Danzo.

"Naruto." Tsunade said. "Take the princess somewhere safe for now, we'll come find you when we know she's safe coming back. We don't know how many people Danzo has influenced that work in the castle and could be a threat."

"Shouldn't she go with someone else? I don't think that I'm the best for protecting her in-" he started

"You're the one that hit Danzo, I couldn't even do it." Tsunade told him. She turned her head to Hinata, who was being helped up off the ground where Naruto left her. Naruto turned his head to look as well

"I don't think anyone else could."

"…Right." Naruto replied. "What about her sister?" He asked.

"She's already been evacuated and is in hiding as we speak." Tsunade responded. She left to go tell other people orders about the situation.

Naruto walked over to the group of soldiers hoarded around Hinata. He broke through them, telling them to leave.

"Hinata, Hinata come on we have to go." He told her, trying to get her to look at him. She just kept staring off.

"Hinata, listen to me, we have to go, okay?" He told her, speaking softly.

Hinata didn't move her eyes, but she shook her head softly, agreeing with him.

…

He carried her for the most part, she was moving too slowly in her state. Her arms were around his neck, and he took every back alley way he could. His jacket was on top of her so she wouldn't be as cold, but it also helped that it was off of Naruto, it made it easier for him to move. He went up the stairs, opening the door into his apartment building.

He observed the room before he brought Hinata in. He knew it was too late for someone to be working at the desk, but he didn't want any surprises.

He walked swiftly and quietly down the hallway, escorting Hinata behind him. No one was out, no one should know. He turned the key to door and opened it, looking around the room as well, just to be safe. He gestured for her to enter. HE closed the door and locked it after her.

"Alright you should be safe here with me. No one will think you're hidden in some apartment, it'll be-" He started, turning towards her. But he stopped once he saw her standing there.

Her face was pale, much paler than it normally is. The blood stains on her face were like black holes through her skin. The stare of her eyes was lifeless. Her hair was knotted and the bottom of her dress was stained in blood, as was the sleeve that was facing her father.

Naruto walked towards her carefully, grabbing her hand. "Hinata?"

No response.

"… Come on, let's go sit down." He said, moving her gently to the couch he owned. "I know it's not the nicest thing you've probably ever sat on… but it comfortable enough." He tried to joke, but got nowhere with it.

He sat her down on the couch, grabbing the blanket from behind her and draping it over her shoulders. He turned to go and make sure the windows were locked, but something tugged at his sleeve. He stared down at it and saw Hinata's hand was holding onto him.

"Hinata… I… I'll be right back, I promise." He told her before she would let go.

He walked over to the windows in his apartments, latching them down. The bathrooms, the kitchens, and his bedrooms. HE checked the front door one more time before returning to Hinata.

He sat down next to her and could see she was shaking. Instinctively he wanted to put his arms around her, but didn't know if that would be more harmful or helpful.

She moved her head to be on his chest, resting it there. She wasn't crying, she wasn't making noise, she was completely still.

"Hinata…" He said softly to her, embracing his arms around her, holding her to his chest. His hand was on the top of her head, softly stroking it down. "Nothing bad is going to happen to you now." He told her. He was damned if he couldn't do that.

It seemed almost instantly that she grabbed at his vest, pulling her face into it. Her body just collapsed into his, and he held her up with his own. Her soft sobs were painful to hear, but he knew they were necessary.

Her cries got louder, and her tears were soaking through his vest. He kept strong, letting her cry. He occasional could hear words she was saying, but none of them made sense. They all revolved around her father.

She gathered herself back together after an hour, lifting her head off of Naruto's chest. He didn't move his arms off of her, and she didn't want him to. She sat there in silence for a while, staring off again before she spoke.

"I never trusted him." She said quietly, not moving her head.

"The man?" Naruto asked, matching her volume. Hinata nodded her head slowly.

"He's always been there, beside father, influencing his decisions. Father trusted him to an extent but now… father…" She started. She held her breath, trying to hold back more tears. It worked for the time being.

Naruto looked at her, unable to comprehend what she had been through in one night. Sure the man was the king of their nation, but he was also Hinata's father. Her mother was already dead, and to add her father on top of it just seemed so heavy. He never knew his parents, so he couldn't ever miss them. He wouldn't know where to start while trying to sympathize with her.

He noticed the blood that was on her face still, as well as on her dress. He thought that would be a good place to start.

"Come on, we need to get you cleaned up."

…..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoaaaaa longer than normal chapter! I think this is the longest one yet. Lots happened! Lots of drama and some world building is coming up soon, how lovely!
> 
> You're in for a wild ride my friends, so make sure to favorite and follow and review so I know to keep writing it!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My, this one has a lot of things in it. So enjoy all the things!

Hinata was lying in the water, watching as her breathing moved the water up and down. She thought it was so close to spilling over every time, but it never got there. She felt cramped in the small bathtub, with its white walling pressed against her, but it wasn't uncomfortable. If anything it was comforting. It felt like she was completely surrounded by warmth, like a shield. It wasn't what she was used to, not by a long shot, but she was enjoying it.

She had already scrubbed her face and hands from the dried blood, trying not to think about whose it was. Naruto had handed her a cloth and started the water from the kitchen for her to use. While she was washing in the kitchen, Naruto prepared her a bath. He left out the only clothes he could find that would fit her on the counter next to the sink, along with a towel. Just from looking at the pile she knew it was a plain shirt and some sort of pants.

She shifted her body to the side, pulling her arms out and folding them on the corner of the bathtub, resting her head on top. The floors were concrete, and there were two lights handing on the wall next to the door that slightly illuminated the room. The light was a yellow/orange color, and Hinata wondered if it was a small flame or something else that was powering it.

The color reminded her of Naruto.

She kept thinking about him. How his eyes were different colors, his cheeks were… fierce. When he smiled at her, his canines' seemed so pronounced and strong, like an animals. And that aura around him made her shudder with a felling she couldn't describe. It was fear, but with a curiosity she couldn't explain. It made her want to know more.

…

Naruto had completely cleaned every aspect of his room. New sheets and pillowcase, nothing was on the floor. All the drawers had been organized, the ceiling dusted, and the floors swept. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, wanting to appear as if he didn't just spend the last thirty minutes cleaning. He looked over his work and thought it was the nicest this place has looked since he moved in, which was years ago.

He turned out of his room, closing the door behind him. He went down the small hall to a cabinet in the wall, grabbing a blanket and another pillow. He laid a pillow and blanket out on the couch as a makeshift bed. He'd be damned if he didn't offer his own bed to her and him sleep out here. Anything he could do to help her right now, he would do. If that meant sleeping on the couch, it was a price he would be glad to pay. Even if it was the most uncomfortable couch he knows.

The living room was built lower than everything else, with two stairs leading out of it. He typically just jumps up them, not wasting him time hitting them all, but his own tiredness was starting to get to him. He walked up the two stairs and rounded into the kitchen, making sure that the windows was still locked. He went to the hallway and checked that window as well. All was locked and shut tight.

Finally he went back to the front door, making sure it was locked as well. He knew that he locked it. He was sure of it, but he was also sure he had locked the windows as well. He didn't want any mistakes, not tonight.

He reached for the door knob to test it when he thought he heard a knock.

*bump bump*

Naruto froze, having no idea who could be here so late at night. He turned his head to the side to look at the clock in the living room through the open wall. 3:07.

Naruto thought he was just hearing things, but he kept still and waiting to see if it would come again.

*BUMP BUMP*

The knocking was louder than before.

Naruto moved closer to the door, putting an ear against it. He was trying to hear who it was. There was no way in hell that he was just going to open the door for anyone.

The knocking came again, louder than both times before it.

"Damn it, Naruto, open the door." A voice said from the other side. "This is important!"

Naruto knew that voice, it was Sasuke's.

Sasuke had no reason to be here this late at night, no good reason at least. He was cautious, but Sasuke doesn't call just anything important.

"I was sent here by Tsunade, Naruto, and if you don't open I going to wake up everyone in thi-" He started. Sasuke heard the jingle of the locks opening, and straightened himself out, waiting for the door to open.

Naruto opened the door only enough for Naruto to stand there, still in his suit from the Ball.

"What's so important you need to be here so late?" Naruto asked, getting right to the point.

Sasuke gave Naruto a slight glare, but quickly dropped it. "I can't tell you in the hall, I don't know who could be listening. Just let me in for two minutes." Sasuke bartered.

Naruto stood there, arms folded. He looked Sasuke over. The only thing Naruto saw that could be a threat was Sasuke's sword that was attached to him. Naruto thought it was weird that he was in full uniform. Maybe Tsunade did send him.

"You have two minutes." Naruto told him firmly as he opened the door more. He turned in, watching Sasuke step inside. He closed the door immediately behind him, locking it.

Sasuke didn't leave the entryway, knowing he wasn't welcomed here right now. That didn't matter, he just had to relay the message, and then he would be making his leave.

"Well?" Naruto asked him in a huff.

"Do you want to good news or the bad news?" Sasuke asked him, leaning against the half-wall that separated the living room and entryway.

"… Good news." Naruto decided. He figured he wouldn't have to worry about the good news as much as the bad news.

"He's not dead." Sasuke said, crossing his arms.

"Who? Danzo?" Naruto asked, trying to clarify.

"Well… Yes Danzo, but not who I meant. The King. He's still alive. He's weak and he can't speak, but he's holding on."

Sasuke could see a wave of relief flow over Naruto. His shoulders relaxed and his head rolled back.

"That's a relief. I thought for sure he was gone." Naruto replied.

"So did most people. He lost a lot of blood, but the impact missed his artery just by a centimeter." Sasuke explained. "He passed out from blood loss."

' _Hinata is going to be so relieved.'_ Naruto thought.

"Now… for the bad news." Sasuke started, getting Naruto's focus back.

"We we're switching out guards. It was my turn to stand watch, making sure that Danzo didn't try anything while he was in his cell. The other guard opened the door to the cell so I could be assured he was there, that the previous guard hadn't helped him escape." Sasuke stopped, looking down.

"We had him wrapped up completely. His arms were tied behind him, his hands cuffed in his bad. His own eyes covered and his feet tied, like a pig. There was no way he could have done it on his own, but…" Sasuke look straight at Naruto. "He wasn't there." Sasuke told Naruto quietly.

Naruto stood there, comprehending the information. Once Naruto had played it back, his eyes widened.

"What do you mean he wasn't there?!" Naruto whispered in surprise. He didn't want Hinata to be made aware of the situation, so he made sure his voice was quiet.

"I mean when we opened the cell door to do the check, he wasn't in there." Sasuke explained, matching Naruto's volume.

Naruto stood there with his back against the door, staring at the ground.

"The guard that was watching him?"

"Is being put under questioning as we speak. Right now, any one that was near him is a suspect." Sasuke told him, walking towards Naruto.

"I believe my two minutes are up." Sasuke told him, reaching for the lock. Naruto put his hand in front of Sasuke's, keeping him there.

"… Are you not a suspect?" Naruto asked him. Sasuke looked at Naruto's face, and his eyebrows were furrowed down.

"I already went through questioning." Sasuke said coldly.

The stood there, staring at each other. Naruto was looking for any hint of deceit. Sasuke's eyes never wavered from Naruto's, and Naruto's stayed locked on his.

Naruto undid the door himself, opening it for Sasuke. Sasuke hesitated for a moment before leaving, but eventually he walked through the door. Naruto watched as he went down the hallway to the stairs leading out of the building.

Naruto snapped himself back into the room, locking the door immediately as it closed.

He slid down the door, running a hand through his hair. His mind was rushing through all different scenarios of Danzo coming here. What if no one had let him escape, what if he could just phase through objects and walls. What if he can just teleport out of rooms or control other people with his mind. Naruto thought of so many different powers this man might have. There was no reasoning behind how he could control the pressure exerted on others or the shield he used to block both him and Tsunade, at least not a reason he knew of yet.

Right now, Danzo was the biggest threat he knew of.

….

Hinata heard the knocks on the door, and she flinched at the sound. She stared, wondering if it was from the bathroom door or the front door. She heard it again, and was positive it was from the front door.

She brought her knees into her body, lowering her back further into the water, trying to submerge all of her, almost like she was hiding. She heard the knock one more time. It was a piercing sound that seemed to shake the entire room.

The door opened, and Hinata held her breath. She heard Naruto talking, and someone else as well, a man's voice, but she couldn't make out a single thing they were saying. She kept trying to listen, but she was sure that Naruto was talking quietly so she wouldn't hear.

She released her breath after holding it in as long as she could. She didn't even remember it was held until she started feeling lightheaded. She slowly breathed out, watching her breath ripple against the water. It was getting cold.

She heard the door close again, and Naruto locking it. She hoped whoever it was had made their leave. She didn't want to be around anyone else but Naruto right now. He made her feel safe, and if she couldn't be with her family, that's all she was wanting.

She undid the plug that let the water drain out, standing up. She put one leg over onto the small rug on the floor, than the other.

She grabbed the towel that was sitting on the countertop and used it to dry off. She stared at the clothes that he had left her. The shirt was a black color, with long sleeves. The pants looked like a blanket fabric, and she didn't understand what they were. She put the shirt on and it was a bit too big, but not too much. The sleeves went past her hands by an inch. She picked up the pants and started at them. They were stretchy at the top, and were very soft on both the inside and outside. She had never seen pants like them before.

"…. Hinata?"

Hinata turned her head towards the door. "Yes?" she replied.

"I just wanted to check on you and make sure… everything was alright." He said from the other side of the door.

"Oh… Everything is fine, I'll be out in a minute." She told him, putting on the pants he had given her.

In her life, she mostly wore dresses. It wasn't out of place for anyone outside the royal family to wear pants, but for her she had only worn them very few times, and it was usually just an extra layer underneath a dress while they travelled. She stuck in her legs and she felt they were the most comfortable thins she had ever worn before. They were baggy, but she didn't know if they were made that way or if it was because they were too big. They were so warm and loose fitting that it felt like she just had a blanket in her lap the entire time she was wearing them.

She decided she needed a pair of whatever these were for herself.

…..

Naruto was sitting on the couch, a hand running through his hair. He was worrying about Danzo again, trying to think about what more he could do to prevent any situation he kept coming up with. Nothing was helping.

He sighed, throwing his head back against the couch, staring at the ceiling. He was glad she wasn't sleeping out here because he hadn't dusted this one.

He heard the bathroom door click as it opened, and his body shot up straight. He didn't want her to see him worrying. He didn't want her to know anything.

"Who was that at the door?" Hinata asked him quietly as she approached. Naruto turned his head to meet her, and held in a laugh as best he could.

She looked completely unlike herself. She was in a long black shirt and his sweat pants. They looked completely out of place on her, nothing like she usually wears. She sat down next to him.

"Oh, that was just an update from Tsunade on the situation..."

"Really? It didn't sound like Tsunade at all." She replied, believing him.

"Yeah, she sent someone. She can't leave the castle just yet." He told her, covering his tracks.

"Yeah, that seems right." She commented, fidgeting with her hands.

"Anyway Hinata, They told me something you need to know." Naruto told her, making her look at him.

"Your father isn't dead."

Hinata's breathing stopped for a moment, and her eyes widened.

"R-really?" She asked, and Naruto could see the tears welling in her eyes.

This was the reaction he had hoped for.

"Yeah, He's still alive. He can't talk at all, but he's still-OOF" Naruto grunted as Hinata collapsed onto him, wrapped herself around his chest.

She was crying again. But these tears didn't feel as heavy as the ones before did. They were tears of relief and happiness. Naruto wrapped his arms around her.

"I can't believe it… t-thank goodness." She kept repeating into his chest.

"I know, its great news!" Naruto kept telling her.

Hinata felt as if all that had happened to her didn't matter at this point. Her father was alive, her sister was safe, and she was safe as well. She felt that she couldn't stop crying.

She pulled her face off of Naruto's chest, wiping her eyes with her sleeves.

"i-I'm sorry, I just didn't think… he'd be…"

"There's nothing to be sorry for! Crying because you're happy is something anyone would do!" Naruto told her.

She let out a small laugh as she finished wiping her eyes. "I needed that." She told him.

She sighed as she rested her back against the couch, still ecstatic about her father.

She looked around the room. There was the couch they were on, a table in the middle with a book and cup on it, a chair to their left, sitting against the wall, and then a bookcase in front of them to the left, there was a few picture frames on it, but nothing more. The room was illuminated by the same lights as the bathroom, with their orange/yellow hue touching most everything in the room.

She was staring at the lights, watching how the color came out of it and spread across the room. She didn't know why she was so observant of these lights, they had many back at the castle. These just kept reminding her of him, of what happened.

"Are the lights too bright? I can turn them off if they are." He asked her, concerned as to why she was staring at them.

"Oh no, they're fine! I'm just… thinking." She replied, trailing off.

Naruto was tempted to ask her what it was, but he figured she would tell him eventually.

"So, if you're wanting to sleep, I made my bed up for you. I can just sleep in here, ya know." He told her, but he got no response.

"Hinata?" … nothing.

"…Hinata?" he asked again, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"What… what happened to you" Hinata started, and Naruto knew immediately what she was talking about. He sighed, a pained smile crossing his face. Hinata turned to look at him. His head was back and his eyes closed.

"I knew you'd ask that eventually…" He replied, not looking at her. Hinata turned her body towards him to listen.

"I… you know how parts of town look completely new compared to everything else, especially in the south?" He asked her.

"Of course, it was destroyed by the nine-tailed fox years ago." She said. Anyone that lived through it knows what happened, and even though she didn't, it's a part of her nation's history that she needed to know.

There was a moment of silence between the two. She was staring at him, and his eyes were still closed.

"His name is Kurama." Naruto told her.

She moved her head back in surprise.

"In order to stop the attack, the State Military Commander before Tsunade took his own life to seal Kurama away and stop the attack." Naruto explained.

Hinata knew that. Performing any sort of supernatural feat, whether sealing or something like what Danzo did, takes an enormous toll on the body, and is something that hardly anyone even knows how to do anymore because of it. There are only a few books left on such practices, and they aren't well published.

"So… he sealed the fox-"

"He sealed it in me." He interrupted. "And every adult that lived here knew it. They all called me a monster and ignored me. It was because of that I was always alone, and why everyone hated me."

Hinata sat there, watching as he leaned forward, putting his arms on his legs. He clasped his hands together and looked off to the side, still not facing her. She was still trying to comprehend what she was told.

"When that old retired soldier found me, Jiraiya, he taught me how to control Kurama, and how to use his power to help me. That's what it was, that's what happened." He told her.

Hinata breathed in slowly. It made sense as to why he healed so fast, and why he was able to fight Danzo and Tsunade was not.

She wasn't scared of him, but she was curious. She didn't know how much more he was willing to share with her. Instead she put a hand on his back.

"I see." She spoke quietly.

"I've been meaning to tell you, but I just never found the right time…" He mumbled. "I'm sorry."

Hinata smiled, ducking her head down next to his.

"Sorry for what? You didn't ask for that to happen, and without... Kurama, you couldn't have stopped Danzo." She pointed out.

Naruto laughed slightly, then it grew louder, than louder. He lifted his head up to look at her, his face smiling.

"Of course you wouldn't care, you're Hinata." He told her.

Hinata felt her face getting hot as he stared at her. She quickly looked away as she replied.

"O-of course I don't! It's not like it changes who you are." She replied. Naruto was still smiling.

"I don't know why I was even worried." He said, mostly to himself.

The clock that Naruto kept in his living room chimed slightly. It rang four times before stopping.

Naruto looked at the clock, not realizing it was already 4am. In a few hours the sun would be up, and who knows how late they could sleep.

"I think you should get some rest." He told Hinata, putting a hand on her shoulder.

…

"Is she with him?" He asked, trying to move around. His body limped more than usual, and a few of his ribs were cracked. He tried to walk on his own without holding onto something. He was barefoot, so the pitter-patter of his feet was more pronounced on the stone floor.

"I didn't see her there, no, but I can't say she isn't. She might be in a room I didn't see. He was on high alert the entire time I was there." Sasuke said, reporting about his interaction with Naruto. He had taken a seat on one of the bar height chairs that surrounded the table. The dark room didn't help with how tired Sasuke was. It was a pain to get here, and at being almost four in the morning didn't make it easier. It creaked as he sat down.

"That damned brat… I never would've thought that he had control of that fox." The man said, gripping the end of the table next to him for support. "If it wasn't for him, the plan would have been fine." He admitted.

"Fine?" Sasuke replied. "Fine?! You pulled this stuff out of nowhere! How the hell am I supposed to make sure that the king is dead from whatever you do if I can't even get close to you? What the hell was that shit with your arm?" Sasuke asked, enraged. "You asked me to make sure that the king would be dead from your blow, and if he wasn't, to put poison in the wound, yet no one could have gotten near you! That would've been nice to know, don't you think, Danzo?!" Sasuke yelled.

"You will quiet your voice Sasuke. We don't want anyone to know we're here." He told Sasuke, putting his hand to his head. "You're giving me a headache anyway."

"Danzo I just need to know these things, or this isn't going to work." Sasuke huffed, tired.

"Sasuke I keep you on a need to know basis, if I give you too much information, your actions will look too planned. And I can guarantee that this is going to work. I doubt that you'll really be able to get close to the princess now with that fox brat, but we need her dead to do this."

"I understand that, but security is going to be doubled now that this happened, and with you on the loose, do you have a better plan?" Sasuke asked him, setting his arms on the table between them.

"Of course I do, I always have. Security was going to be increased whether I was caught or not."

Sasuke turned his eyes to the side, letting out a sigh. He didn't know how this happened, how he got wrapped up in all this. He wanted to avenge his brother, but after tonight, he was beginning to have doubts that Itachi would even want this.

"Sasuke, are you having second thoughts? Need I remind you that these people, this Royal Family, sent your brother on a suicide mission, didn't tell him it was, and then never told you about his death? Not to mention it was mere days after your parents died. You want to be ruled by people that let that happen, that allow children to go from losing most of their family, to all of it?"

Sasuke's eyes were closed, and he tried to slow his breathing to calm him down.

Days after his parents died, his brother received his next assignment. He was to go to another country and try to kill one of their missionaries that had murdered their own men, at least, that was what Itachi was told.

Little did he know that it was just Itachi walking into a trap. We had killed one of their men on accident, and they wanted one of ours. Specifically Itachi.

They never told him, they just let him live with hatred towards his brother that abandoned him just when he needed him the most.

"…No, I don't." Sasuke said, opening his eyes with an intensity it almost frightened Danzo.

"That's the Sasuke I know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know I think that Danzo didn't get enough time as a villain, so I really wanted him to be a bad guy here.
> 
> Aaand Yaaaay world building and plot thickening. I believe there's two more chapters I have planned out before our next arc starts!
> 
> And once again by arc I mean like a little time skip, maybe a few months at best, and then we dive deeper into this story. Very fun, very exciting, and I can't wait to share it! So keep favoriting and following and of course, reviewing!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of people we're so happy that Hiashi wasn't dead and I just want to ask how heartless do you think I am?
> 
> I wouldn't kill him nooooow, it's too soon. ;)
> 
> …..

Hinata slowly opened her eyes in the morning, wondering what was shining on them. The light from the small window filtered into the room, filling it with a warm light. It cascaded out of the window, shimmering against whatever it was allowed to touch.

It was also hitting her directly on the face. She turned over, blocking the light from her face.

Her eyes shot open.

She had a small moment of panic, not realizing where she was. This wasn't her bed, her room, and certainly not her clothes. She shot up faster than she ever moved, turning her head around the room, assessing the situation.

Her mind went through memories of what happened last night, and everything seemed to come back. From the kiss she shared with Naruto, to the events with her father and Danzo, Naruto saving her and keeping her here for protection.

She stared down silently, worrying about her sister and father. She knew they were both alive, but the entire situation put her on edge. She wondered where they took Hanabi. Maybe Tsunade had her taken to another guard's hideout, or a shelter underground in the city. She decided it was best not to worry, as nothing could be done in her current situation

The house was cold, and the top of her body was jealous of the bottom that was covered by a blanket.

She laid back down on the pillow, wrapping the blanket around herself. She was still so tired from everything that happened it was all she wanted to do. The clock in the room said it was eight a.m., but considering she didn't go to sleep till past four, she could sleep some more.

Besides, she couldn't leave here until Tsunade gave the okay to do so.

….

Naruto was laying on the couch as he had been doing for the past four hours. No matter how much he tossed and turned, moved from the couch to the chair to even the floor, he couldn't sleep. He partially blamed it on how uncomfortable everything was, but also his paranoia.

Every breeze that went by put him on full alert. Any creak from his neighbors made him tense up. Any unknown sound made him uneasy.

He didn't know if It was a good thing for him to be like this or not. On one hand he needed sleep to have energy, on the other if he was asleep he wouldn't be as alert.

He sighed, turning on his back. He heard sounds coming from his bedroom, and he assumed Hinata was awake. Nothing sounded like trouble, it was just his squeaky bed.

The noise soon stopped, and he figured she went back to sleep. He didn't blame her, she had been up all night, plus who could really sleep well with all that happened last night.

There was a knock at the door.

Naruto bolted straight up, throwing the blanket off of him. He started sneaking towards the door, not making any sounds.

Then the knocking continued, and continued and continued, and it didn't stop.

Naruto dropped his shoulders, knowing who knocks like this.

"Narutooo, you have someone else here to see yooou and she's rather important so I think you need to get out of bed an-"

Naruto opened the door.

"Tamo, I'm right here, you don't have to keep knocking all the time." Naruto told the short old woman. He had an annoyed smile on his face.

"It's just the fastest way to get you to open the door." She told him with a wag of her finger. Naruto rolled his eyes. "Anyway, Lady Tsunade is here to see you."

Naruto turned his head down the hall to see Tsunade standing there, with her shoulder wrapped up. Her eyes seemed tired, probably as tired as his did.

"Old Lady Tsunade? What do you need?" Naruto asked, fighting back a yawn.

Tsunade let herself into his small home, shoving Naruto to the side slightly.

Naruto looked down at Tamo, and Tamo at him. Naruto sighed.

"Thanks for the early morning present." He told her before he closed the door.

Naruto locked the front door before turning to find Tsunade in his kitchen, looking through cabinets. A bag of flour and some bread had already fallen to the floor in the mess.

"Hey! You can't just come in here and look through everything!" Naruto told her, trying to get her to stop.

"You're kidding? Not one drop of alcohol in this place?" Tsunade asked in desperation, opening the last cabinet.

"Ahh… not here, sorry." He told her. Typically he would make fun of her drinking habits, but this time she seemed different. He felt she probably did need a drink. He just didn't have one to offer.

Tsunade put her hands on the counter, holding it on the edges, and sighed.

"That's fine, it's not what I'm here for anyway. I'm here to escort Hinata home." Tsunade told him.

"Oh." Naruto replied. "…She's still asleep." He explained.

Tsunade pushed herself off the counter, walking past Naruto. "That doesn't matter, her father specifically requested to see her. We finished our questioning last night with all the staff, so I can't think of a reason to keep her here."

Naruto wanted to fight Tsunade on this, he wanted Hinata somewhere he could protect her, but he knew he couldn't do that, not if it was her father asking for her. He watched Tsunade walked towards his room.

"I'm assuming she slept in your room, but you slept out here, right?" Tsunade asked him, staring behind her shoulder. She was standing at the door of his room, hand ready to knock.

"Wha-of course I did old woman!" Naruto exclaimed. Tsunade gave a small smirk at him.

"Just checking."

Tsunade knocked on the door.

"Princess Hinata, its Tsunade. I'm here to take you back home. I have clothing for you outside. I'll be back in a moment with them." Tsunade told her.

There was a pause after Tsunade spoke, where Hinata didn't say anything. Naruto could hear his bed creaking as he assumed Hinata got out of it.

The door to his room opened.

"Yes Tsunade, that would be lovely." Hinata said through the opening of the door.

Tsunade bowed her head down, leaving the apartment. Naruto followed after her, locking the door.

"Good morning…" Hinata mumbled as she walked over to him.

"Good morning to you too. I hope you slept some." He said to her, leaning against the door.

"Some…" She replied, still drowsy. Naruto could see her arms extend, so he extended his as well, letting her hug him.

"Thank you… for everything last night." She spoke quietly.

"Of course… I'll always protect you." He assured.

He stroked his hand through her hair, something he found to be relaxing every time he did it. Her hair was soft and smooth, and gentle to the touch.

The door handle jiggled, causing them to break away from each other.

"I'm gone for two minutes and you lock me out?!" Tsunade yelled from the other side. Naruto and Hinata both laughed.

"She's still under my protection right now, I can't be too safe." He joked as he opened the door.

Tsunade handed Hinata a box, and she returned to the bedroom to change. The box looked so intricate for just holding clothes, at least, that's what Naruto thought.

Hinata shut the door behind her, and Tsunade started speaking.

"So… did Sasuke come by last night?" Tsunade asked, staring forward.

"Yeah, he told me a few things." Naruto responded.

Tsunade lowered her voice, not wanting Hinata to hear.

"From what we can gather, Danzo put the guard under some sort of hypnosis, that's how he was able to escape."

Naruto turned his head down, furrowing his brow.

"How do you know?" Naruto asked her.

"The keys to Danzo's cuffs were inside the cell, meaning someone was with him to get him out. The guard was given a ration of food to give Danzo at two in the morning, but he doesn't remember ever entering the cell to give it to him, but the food was in there." Tsunade spoke softly. "Everything else about the guard checks out. Background check, repeating the story over and over without messing up what happened. His loyalty to the country has never been something to be concerned about. He is still being detained of course so we can run some more tests on him, But if what he says is true…." Tsunade stopped.

"We really don't know what we're up against." Naruto spoke, finishing Tsunade's sentence. His head was down, feeling the weight of the situation.

"I hate to say it, but that's right. We have no idea the range of his power." Tsunade told him, putting a hand to her forehead. "Not to mention with the King being out of commission for who knows how long, we can't have other countries thinking we are weak or helpless, like we can't defend ourselves."

Naruto's brain was starting to hurt.

Hinata opened the door of the bedroom, wearing what Tsunade brought her. It was a simple dress with a collar and long sleeves, for the winter-time.

"… You two don't have to keep it a secret. The walls aren't that thick." She told them, staring at them both.

Tsunade hung her head. "We meant nothing of it, simply to not worry you." She explained.

Naruto hung his head too.

"I can appreciate the gesture." She said, a small smile on her face.

Naruto thought it was incredible that she wouldn't be mad that they were trying to keep it a secret from her.

"Well, let's make our leave." Tsunade told her, leading the way out the door. Hinata followed behind her, she bowed her head to Naruto as she started walking out the door. She waiting for a moment, until Tsunade was out of earshot.

"…Can I keep those pants? They were rather comfy." Hinata asked quietly, a small smile on her face.

Naruto stared for a moment, and blinked a few times. HE started to chuckle at her question, and she couldn't help but laugh as well.

"Yeah… you can keep them." He told her, walking over to the door to lock it behind them.

"Thanks. I thought they were wonderful. The most comfortable thing I've ever worn. They're already in here" She told him, patting the box that Tsunade gave her. Naruto reached and grabbed the door.

"They're called sweatpants, if you ever wanted some for yourself that aren't mine." He joked. She laughed at him, hearing Tsunade call both of their names from down the hall.

Hinata hurriedly reached up and kissed his cheek.

It seemed like slow motion for him, but it was over in just a second.

"Really, thank you." She told him, backing up into the hallway.

"Yeah... no problem." He managed to get out, putting a hand to his cheek.

He watched her smile and turn down the hallway, catching up to Tsunade.

He stood there with the door open for a moment, still shocked that she kissed him. It wasn't to the degree that he kissed her, but he still felt the same feeling as he did then.

He slowly shut the door behind him, walking sleepily into his own room. He sat down on his bed, hearing it creak like always, but he didn't pay no mind to it.

He laid down on his bed, staring up at the ceiling with a smile on his face. He sighed, feeling his body sink into the bed. He closed his eyes, never being so excited to sleep.

His front door handle jiggled, then there was pounding.

"You idiot, you're coming with us!" HE could hear Tsunade yell at him from the other side.

It felt like his heart dropped. He was already so comfortable in the few seconds they had been gone, it seemed like torture to make him get up again. He peeled his eyes open, looking at the direction of the front door. He could see it through the open doorway of his room. The entire door vibrated as Tsunade banged on it.

With a sigh, he begrudgingly got himself back up.

….

He was doing everything in his power not to yawn, really he was. The ride back to the castle was incredibly long. Since they couldn't take backroads, the carriage was too big, it was city streets, with people and other carriages going which way.

Then once they had arrived, it felt like more waiting. They had to wait for more guards to escort them, had to wait while a doctor made sure that Hinata didn't get injured in the ordeal, even though both she and himself said that she was fine. Then they had to wait outside of the room where her father was, which is where they were now.

They arrived as they were changing his bandages, and not wanting to risk infection, they had to wait outside.

Naruto was standing in between Hinata and Tsunade. Tsunade seemed just as tired as he was, she was yawning the entire time they were together. Hinata, on the other hand, stood there in anxiousness, awaiting to see her father. Naruto wanted to put an arm around her for comfort, but didn't know if it was appropriate. He decided talking to her was the next best thing.

"I'm sure he's fine, I mean, he survived a stab to the neck after all." He said. Hinata didn't respond other than a small laugh. Naruto was sure she was just reacting because he said something.

"Hinata… y-" he started, but the door in front of them opened instead.

A few people walked out, carrying what Naruto thought was the old bandages. He knew that it was blood on the fabric, so he could assume as much.

Then Hinata entered. She walked across the hall to the door in front of them, but as soon as she was in the room she ran to her father.

Naruto and Tsunade followed, rather sluggish. Tsunade entered first, followed by Naruto.

The room was much more elaborate than any of the other places he had been to in this castle. There was a fireplace, vases, wooden end tables with elaborate engravings on the legs. Six windows lined the back of the room, with red heavy curtains pulled to the side with gold fabric. There was a wardrobe in the corner, and a bed that looked as big as Naruto's own home in the middle of the room.

And on that bed was Hinata's father.

From a distance, he looked normal, just with a bandage wrapped around his neck. But as Naruto kept getting closer to him, he could see how pale his skin was compared to his daughters, the bags under his eyes, his chapped lips, and how his hands shook when they reached for Hinata.

She had sat down on the bed next to him, with her legs falling to the floor.

"A-are you doing well?" Hinata asked him quietly. He nodded his head to respond. Hinata smiled at him. She wanted to cry, but also wanted to be strong in front of him. She grabbed the hand that he had reached out for her, holding it tightly.

Hiashi positioned himself up higher on the bed, straightening out his back. Hinata helped him as best she could. He turned his head over next to Tsunade and Naruto, and Naruto started getting nervous. It felt like he was just staring at him, and not Tsunade at all.

"I see you brought him as well." Hiashi spoke. It was quiet and raspy, but still firm at the same time. Tsunade and Naruto both got closer, just so they could hear him better.

"That is true, as you requested." Tsunade said, giving a small bow with her head. Naruto felt his palms getting sweaty. He just thought that Tsunade brought him for extra protection, he didn't know that the king wanted to see him too.

Hiashi took his free hand, the one Hinata wasn't holding, and waved Naruto closer. Naruto cautiously approached closer to them. Hinata looked like she knew what was going on, and at that moment he wished that she would have informed him too.

Naruto stopped at the edge of the bed, and gave his usual bow. Not too long, but enough to show his respect.

"This is the second time you've saved my daughter, is it not?" he asked, but he wasn't looking for an answer. "Not only that… but you saved every person in that room, and not to mention myself." He stated.

"Well, I mean I'm sure you would've survived either way, you're ah… too strong to go down like that." Naruto replied, trying to act modest. The look on Hinata's face told him that it wasn't working.

Hiashi started a laugh, but he ended up wheezing instead. Hinata grabbed the water off of the table next to her, giving it to him to drink. She held it for him as his hands weren't steady enough.

"Thank you." He told her. Hiashi turned his attention back to Naruto.

"I thank you, and your country thanks you. We are in debt to you. If you had not gained my attention mere moments before I was injured, the wound surely would have been fatal"

Naruto was completely shocked at the words. What was that supposed to mean, they were in debt to him? Would he get a promotion? Or some sort of monetary reward? Or maybe a statue? Naruto didn't mind the idea of a statue.

Hinata saw him staring off, and she coughed, getting his attention back towards them. Hiashi continued.

"But I'm afraid I must ask more of you." He sighed. Naruto wanted to sigh at the thought of more work too, but decided that Hiashi's sigh was good enough.

"Of course." Naruto said with the best sincerity he could muster.

"I need you to be her guard. Wherever she goes, until we find out where Danzo is, or the limits of what he can do. Right now, you're the only person we have that can stop him, and I want you protecting my daughter." He told Naruto. His eyes were intense, Naruto could tell he was serious about this.

Naruto gave a bow in agreement. He understood the reasoning, and Naruto also wanted the same thing.

Hinata turned to her father.

"Don't you think it would be better for him to be on the search for Danzo? Once they find him, Naruto will be there and ready to fight alongside them. His comrades don't have the power he does." Hinata reasoned.

"Daughter I have my reasons." Hiashi simply put it. He turned back to Naruto and Tsunade.

"I would like you two to leave the room, I have something to discuss with my daughter." He spoke. Tsunade scoffed.

"I don't think you should be discussing anything with that giant hole in your neck." She simply put it, grabbing Naruto's shoulder to take him out of the room. "But that's not really my call right now." She muttered.

They left the room, making sure that the door was shut before they went across the hall. Naruto sat down on the floor, his back against the wall. Tsunade looked down at him, and decided to join him.

"You look terrible." He told her. His own eyes closing for whatever rest he could get. Naruto swore he could hear her teeth grit.

"Not as bad as you do." She told him, closing her eyes as well. "…that's a heavy job, you sure you're ready for that?" she asked him.

"I… I don't think anyone could feel ready, but I know… I want her safe." He said honestly.

Tsunade chuckled and murmured something under her breath.

"Hm?" Naruto asked, not understanding what she said.

"Oh, nothing, nothing." She joked. Naruto furrowed his brow slightly at her comment, but decided not to press about it.

"Do you know what Hiashi is talking to her about?" he asked.

"I do, but I'm in no place to tell you. She'll probably tell you within the day, if not as soon as she leaves the room anyway." Tsunade reasoned. "But it is something that we've been debating for a long time, but with recent events it's become more clear we need to do it sooner rather than later."

Naruto sat there running through what it could be, but nothing made sense. Just increasing the guards in the area seemed like the only logical thing to do after the recent events, and that was already done.

He sighed, figuring he would know soon enough.

…..

Hinata gave her full attention to her father after they had left the room, concerned about what was going on.

"What is this about?" Hinata asked him, a look of worry on her face.

"… How old are you now, nineteen?" he asked, even though he knew the answer. Hinata nodded her head.

"I was... almost 25 when my father died." He said. Hinata gave a scoff out of shock.

"Yes, and hopefully mine lives many years longer than yours did." She told him, not sure what he was trying to say.

"Hinata, he left me a country when he died. I didn't have his wisdom to help guide me on what to do. Because of this, I had to rely on others, like Danzo, to guide me. Looking back over the years, it feels like everything he's done was in preparation for last night." He paused.

Hinata felt like she knew what he was going to tell her, but didn't want to jump to a conclusion so big.

"How so?" She asked, extending the conversation.

"He… he was the one that originally suggested having the Winter Ball, and he, just months ago, was so against that boy you have out there becoming a soldier. He was afraid of what he would do. It was Tsunade that convinced me otherwise. If Danzo had gotten his way, I don't know if either one of us would be here right now."

Hinata stared at him, remembering that conversation she had overheard. That seemed like years ago now.

"The point I want to make is this. I want to be there to guide you. I don't want to rule until I'm so old I cannot teach my successor. I'm old Hinata, I don't heal as fast as I used to. This country cannot survive while their king is on bedrest, unable to travel to other countries. I can't even leave this bed until next week in fear that the stitches on my neck will open." He explained to her.

Hinata's guess was right.

"Hinata, I want you to take my place. Take your mother's place. Lead this county." He told her. "And I want to be there to teach you how to do it."

Hinata started breathing heavy, trying to wrap her head around this request. She was so young, the youngest queen the country would ever have. She had wondered why her father was making he do so many things on her own recently, instead of traveling with him. Was it to prepare her for this? She felt a heavy pressure on her chest, like she wanted to throw up.

"I… I just… I don't know how-" She tried to say, but her words wouldn't come.

Her father put a hand on her shoulder. "That's what I'll be here for. To guide you and teach you. I won't let you make any decision without guidance until you are comfortable." He assured her.

"But I mean... What about Hanabi?" she asked, still in shock.

"Hinata you know your sister is way too young. She isn't mature enough to-"

"Not that, does she know?" Hinata clarified.

"Ah… I plan to tell her this afternoon." He said.

Hinata was trying to calm down. She couldn't think there was a way in the word she could do this. She was so young, so many things she doesn't know how to do. Drafting treaties, making trade agreements, passing judgement for criminals when needed… it just felt like so much.

"I know it's a lot for you to take in, and I didn't train you in as many things as I wanted to before it happened, but it is the decision I am making. I wouldn't if I didn't have faith in you." He explained, trying to calm her.

She could remember a time where her father thought there was no way she could be his daughter. She was too shy, no confidence, an embarrassment. She didn't act like royalty, she was too kind to everyone, didn't have a backbone, she wasn't what he wanted other countries to feel like they were weak like she was.

Now he wants her to run the country?

Then she thought about how just a few hours ago, she thought he was dead. How if he had died, the same thing would have happened, and just like her father, no one would have been there to guide her. Now she was given an opportunity to learn with her father there to support her.

"I…" she started, breathing in deep. "I don't really have a choice, do i?" she asked him, trying to smile.

Hiashi made a similar face. "I hate to say that you don't, but…"

Hinata gave a chuckle at his answer.

"We can talk about it more tomorrow, but for now I think both you and I need our rest." Hiashi told her. Hinata on one hand wanted to keep talking about it, but on the other thought that more sleep was a great idea.

She slid off his bed, kissing his cheek before she left.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mmmm! Oh my, things have taken a turn haven't they?
> 
> Stay tuned for more! Make sure to review, favorite and follow for more!


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ho boy, big things are to come, real big things.
> 
> Going to get interesting soon ;)

It was a realization that was a long time coming for Naruto. In the back of his mind he knew it was true, but just living there he never thought it was. Maybe because the space was so small he felt like he was cramped, or maybe he felt he didn't need more, but packing it all up was the moment he realized it was true.

He really didn't own a lot of things.

All of his belongings fit into two boxes, and one was just clothes.

All the furniture was provided for him when he moved in. The bed, the couch, chair, bookshelf- none of that was his to take. He wasn't really upset about it, he didn't want it anyway.

In the box that wasn't clothes were a pillow, some pictures, a few decks of cards, some shoes, his military paperwork, and a box with all his savings in it. He owned a few other things, a lamp, some dishes and cutlery, and a few pots and pans, but he wouldn't need them. He left them in the apartment, figuring the next people that moved in may need them. They weren't high end by any means, so if they ended up throwing them away, he didn't mind.

He had borrowed a horse from the castle, with permission, to carry all his things back with him. He debated a cart when the process first started, but once he realized how much he actually had to move, it wasn't worth it.

The horses name was Blacksmith, Hinata told him.

Naruto had tied everything down, making sure it was all secure. He gave the horse a sugar cube, one of the last things left in his cabinet, before they started out. Naruto put a foot in the saddle when someone coughed behind him. Naruto turned around and saw Tamo standing there, arms folded.

"If it was anyone else but you I would have charged you three months' rent for just up and leaving like this." She told him in a huff.

"Yeah, but you charged me three months' rent when I first moved in, just to make sure I wouldn't cause you any trouble'." Naruto joked, turning around to face her.

Tamo laughed in a huff, remembering that she did do that. This young kid, no older than fifteen wants his own place with her? She wasn't just about to trust that.

"That was four years ago, surely you've forgiven me." She replied.

"Absolutely lot." He said with a smile, leaning down to her height. He gave her a small hug.

"Thanks for always banging on my door." He told her.

"Well you always caused me the most trouble, so of course I did." She replied, hugging him back.

Naruto stood up, staring over at Blacksmith, figuring it was time to head out.

He put one foot in the saddle, swinging the other around. He slightly kicked the side of the horse, waving goodbye to Tamo as the horse made its way down the road.

He had never been on a horse through the streets like this before. There was so many people going every which way, other people on horses carrying things around, stands and shops had their doors open, and people going in and out as they pleased.

Naruto thought at any moment he was going to trample someone. A kid would coming running out of a store and get crushed underneath him, or something would spook him horse and then it would sprint down the street, knocking into who knows what and hitting who knows who. The whole situation made him uncomfortable.

"… Naruto?" A voice cut through the crowds.

Naruto jerked the reins back, stopping the horse. He heard someone shout behind him angrily at his sudden stop, but Naruto paid no mind to it. He slowly moved his head, observing the crowd of people, trying to figure out who called his name. No one was looking at him, or even acknowledging him from what he could see.

Someone punched his leg.

He let out a yell, grabbing his leg. It didn't really hurt, but it was just the surprise of it that made him react. He turned his head to see who had punched him.

"Sakura? Why did you punch me?" He asked her, giving her a glare.

"Because I haven't heard from you since what happened, that's why!" she huffed, putting a hand on her hip. She was in a loose fitted shirt that was held down with fabric strings next to her hands. Her pants were brown, same with her shoes. In her other hand was a jacket.

"… That was only two days ago!" Naruto told her, getting down from Blacksmith. He felt awkward sitting and still being taller than she was.

He jumped down, landing in front of her.

"I'm sure you've heard it from just about everyone that was there, but I want to thank you for saving us. If you hadn't been there, who knows what could have happened." She told him.

"Well I couldn't just stand there." He joked.

She wasn't kidding when she meant everyone had thanked him. People that he didn't know just walked up to him and shook his hand, grabbed his shoulder, or gave him some sort of present. Even people that weren't there, which was most that lived in the city, would point and talk about him. Naruto could overhear most of them.

"Apparently something bad happened at the ball the other night, and he was the one who save them all…" one would whisper.

"Really? That kid? Who would've thought…" the other would reply.

Naruto thought it was a little much.

"What's all this?" She asked him, gesturing to the boxes attached to the horse. She rested her free hand on one of them.

"Oh… I'm moving." He told her, not knowing if a lie was necessary.

She stared at him with a blank face for a moment before she burst into a smile.

"You finally moved out of those crummy apartments? Sasuke would tell me how small and cramped it was all the time!" Sakura laughed.

"I mean… yeah it was pretty small." He told her, scratching the back of his head.

"Where are you moving to?" She asked, her head turning to the side slightly.

Naruto considered telling her the truth, but he also didn't know who was listening to their conversation.

"Closer to work" He told her. He figured it wasn't really a lie, but not the whole truth either.

"… Okay, well if you need any help let me and Sasuke know." She told him, a bit confused by his answer but she was sure he had his reasons. She took a step back, deciding she needed to finish the rest of her errands, but Naruto grabbed her hand. She looked up at him, confused.

"Hey" he started, "You haven't noticed Sasuke acting… different lately, have you?" he asked.

Sakura's face went from confused to concern. Her eyebrows dropped, and her face turned off to the side. The tenseness of her muscles in her arm went away.

"He's… more distant. Not that he isn't always like that, but it's different now. And he's gone at lot more than he usually is." She explained.

Naruto let go of her hand, watching her facial expressions change.

"I mean, I know I'm not his girlfriend or anything, but we used to just enjoy each other's company. He would even come shopping with me, but nowadays, he's not like that anymore." She trailed off, staring at the ground.

Naruto could see how upset and worried she was about him. But it also spoke volumes to him that it wasn't just him noticing the difference. If Sakura was even willing to admit it, something really must be going on with Sasuke.

"Sakura just… watch out for him. I get the same feeling from him." He admitted. He was sure that wasn't the answer she wanted to hear, but she needed to.

Sakura sighed, finally looking him back in the face.

"Yeah, I will." She assured him. A smile was on her face, but Naruto thought it was fake. "Anyway, I have to get going." She continued. "But let me know when you get moved in, I'll bring a house warming present!"

"Yeah, I will!" he told her, waving as she walked off. He watched as she disappeared into the crowd of people, staring off after she was gone. He was worried about her with Sasuke acting like this, but he was also worried about someone else even more.

He slipped his foot back into the saddle of his horse, continuing on.

…..

Naruto couldn't believe his eyes when he saw his room. There were two windows, at least ten feet tall, which lined the room. The carpet was so plush and soft it was unreal. He could feel it through the shoes he was wearing, he couldn't wait to feel it without them. There were two wardrobes placed next to each other, with a rack in between them for hanging coats, he assumed. There was a desk in the corner, an end table on both sides of the bed, each having a lamp placed on top of them. At the foot of the bed was a cedar chest. Connected to the room were two doors, one leading to a bathroom, and one leading to a closet space.

Naruto sat his two boxes on the bed, taking it all in. This was his, completely free.

' _I'm actually paid to live here…'_ he thought to himself, looking up at the ceiling fixture. The entire room was as big as his apartment was, plus more.

"I hope you like it…" Hinata said. Naruto didn't know she was there.

He turned around and saw her standing against the door frame. She still looked tired.

"Hinata! This place is huge!" He replied, making his way over to her.

"It's the room closest to mine, so hopefully it works for you." She explained.

Naruto hugged her, glad to see she was there. Hinata hugged him back.

"I haven't seen you for a while, you've been okay?" He asked her. He realized a while was just a few days, but it felt longer to him.

"Yeah, I've been fine." She said. He noticed she was staring off behind him, not focused at him. He turned his head to see if anything was behind him. Nothing was there.

"So… how much free time do you have today?" he asked her. It wasn't that he hadn't tried to see her the past two days, she was just so busy with 'something' that he couldn't see her.

"I have a few things to do in an hour, but it shouldn't take long." She spoke, still not looking at him.

Naruto tried to ignore it.

"Okay, you want to help me unpack?" he asked. His definition of her helping was just her being there why he unloaded his two boxes.

It seemed like she snapped out of whatever daze she was in, finally looking at him. A smile spread across her face.

"I'd love to," she told him honestly.

They walked over to the bed, where Naruto had left his boxes. She looked at them for a second, then turned her head around the room.

"… Only two boxes?" She asked.

He laughed nervously. "Yeah, I didn't really need the rest of it." He explained.

Hinata smiled at him. "Well, as long as you have everything you need." She told him. She sat down on the cedar chest at the foot of his bed and patted it.

"This is full of different blankets, but the sheets the nursemaids will come and change every week." She explained.

"Oh, that's fancy." He replied. He didn't know how it'd be living here, or how long he would, but he was sure it was going to be interesting.

Hinata started staring off again.

He wondered if this had anything to do with what her and her father discussed a few nights ago. He remembered her coming out of the room in total shock. He had asked her what happened, but she just shook her head, not saying anything. She instead told him that if was going to be her personal guard, he needed to move into the castle, and left it at that. He didn't question her at the time, but he knew whatever it was, she didn't want to think about.

"Hinata?"

There was a pause before she responded.

"Yes?"

Naruto walked over to her, and sat down next to her. She turned to face him when he sat down.

"Are you sure you're okay? You seem… distant." He admitted. He remembered Sakura using the word to describe Sasuke as well.

Hinata's eyes went wide for a moment, before she sighed.

"Was it obvious?" she asked with a small laugh. "I guess there's no point in hiding it from you." She spoke truthfully.

"You're hiding something?" he asked her, concerned.

"I'm just… scared." She admitted. Naruto leaned closer to her.

'I'm here, you don't have to be scared of Dan-"

"No it's not that." She interrupted.

"Then what are you scared of?" He asked

"Father…. And you cannot tell anyone, not until it's been announced to the public." She said suddenly. Naruto nodded his head in agreement. That's probably why she didn't tell him to begin with.

She breathed deep. "He is stepping down as king, and chose me to succeed him."

Naruto blinked a few times, keeping his eyes on her. He smiled with a gasp.

"Hinata! That's great!" He exclaimed, grabbing her shoulder. She didn't seem as excited as he was. She put her hands on his wrists, trying to calm him down.

"You don't get it. He's giving me an entire country to govern. If I make any mistake it can lead to a full out war between countries. People could die, they could start a revolution or-"

"Hey, hey, calm down" Naruto said softly. "You're only thinking of the negatives." He explained.

"Yeah, but the positives hardly ever happen." She mumbled with her head down. "There are so many people that will be depending on me." She told him. She let her body fall backwards, lying on the end of his bed. "My chest just feels so heavy with worry and doubt, I don't know if I can do this."

Naruto laid back with her, both staring at the ceiling. He nudged his arm underneath her neck, letting her head rest on his chest. She liked the sound of his heartbeat, it was comforting.

"Hinata, I'm not going to tell you to not be nervous, but I think that a whole lot of people will say you're a great queen, ya know?" He told her, still looking up at the ceiling.

"Oh really?" she said in a tone that was almost sarcastic.

"I'm serious!" he told her, laughing. "You're nice and kind and you don't think that you're above anyone else, those are great traits to have. You understand a lot about the people you'll rule over." He explained.

Hinata was quiet. She turned in towards him, burying the side of her face into his shoulder. He bent his arm in, and rested his hand on her head.

"And just think of all the people that would be supporting you. Your father and sister, Tsunade, the dignitaries from all the other cities in the country, and don't forget yours truly." He reminded.

"I wouldn't forget you, not with you living next door to me." She pointed out.

She sat back up, looking over her shoulder at him still laying down.

"Thanks for the advice." She told him, a smile of sincerity on her face.

Naruto sat back up to join her. "It's what I'm here for."

Hinata put her head against his shoulder, letting it rest there with her eyes closed. Naruto didn't seem to mind.

To be honest, Naruto loved the companionship he felt with Hinata. She truly cared about him, and she always felt safer around him, ever since the beginning. He thought it had to do with something she told him forever ago, even though it was just a few months. Every time she was scared or afraid, she would hear his voice from so many years ago. The thought of that now, after all they had been though together, and how much time she took out of her days to be with him- it felt like all the hardship he faced was worth it. That this was what it was leading to. He endured for so long to be given these moments with her.

" _ **Are you finally going to admit it?"**_ _Kurama asked._

" _Admit what?" he asked coyly. Naruto knew what the old fox meant._

" _ **You love her, don't you? I mean, I know you, you'd put your life on the line for a dog, but with her it's different, isn't it."**_ _He reasoned._

" _Every time I look at her there's just this… feeling in my chest. When she hurts, I hurt, and when she's happy, I am too." He explained._

_Kurama sighed._ _**"Yeah… that sounds about right."** _

"Naruto?"

Naruto snapped back into reality, not even knowing he had left.

"Sorry…" he admitted.

"Now you seem to be the one staring off." She joked with him.

"No I wasn't, I was… having a conversation." Naruto said, regretting it as soon as the words left his mouth.

"A conversation? With yourself?" She asked, confused.

"No, with ah… with Kurama. He sometimes feels the need to butt into things." He explained, scratching the side of his face.

"You… you talk to him?" Hinata asked, even more confused.

"Well, yeah. It's like a subconscious thing, kind of hard to explain." He said, trying to shrug it off. He knew it was weird, and he didn't want Hinata thinking it was weird too.

"I mean, I can see how it makes sense…" she replied, furrowing her eyebrows while she thought about it.

" _ **She can talk to me too!"**_ _Kurama yelled excitedly._ _ **"I could tell her so many things about you."**_

" _No, Kurama! Absolutely not." Naruto told him. Kurama laughed_

….

He moved? How could he have moved? Naruto never once complained about where he lived, he had no desire to leave, so why would he?

Sasuke was running through the city. It was already dark out with it being winter, and people were starting to go home for the day. No one was out, which he was thankful for. He didn't have time to make sure no one was following him like he had to during the day.

He turned right past the bakers shop, onto a smaller street. From there it was carts of different sellers packing things up for the day. Clothing, herbs, paints, all of them were folding away their wares for the day.

He turned once again in between two of them. One was still making its final sale for the evening, a fish stand. The other was shut down and the owner gone.

This wasn't a street, this was an alleyway between two of them, with stairs leading down to the lower part of the city. He went down the stairs, twisting until he reached the bottom. He continued on his way, the river that ran through the city now next to him. He followed it for a few hundred feet, then walked across a small platform built as a bridge. Once on the other side, there was two lights, hanging from the wall. Neither of them were ever on, but they were still there.

Sasuke paused, and looked around. He couldn't see or hear anyone, so he placed his hand against the wall and felt for the opening along the cracks in the bricks. All of them but one should be cemented in place. The loose brick acted as a door handle, opening the wall.

Inside was Danzo.

The entire underground waterway connected the entire city, and Danzo build this room over the years with handpicked help, making sure no one knew about it except for those he trusted.

Sasuke went down the narrow stairway, leading to the stone floor.

"D-Danzo…!" Sasuke yelled, catching his breath from the adrenaline.

"Sasuke! What are you doing here?" Danzo said, confused.

He was sitting on a chair next to the wooden countertop that lined one side of the room. He had a lamp beside him. Danzo was quick to cover up his arm, the one that was always bandaged. Even Sasuke hadn't ever seen what it looked like.

Sasuke could see there was blood dripping down off the table. Multiple books were open in front of him, written in languages he couldn't understand.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked, taking steps closer to Danzo.

"What I'm doing is none of your concern, what are you here for?" He asked angrily.

Sasuke hesitated before answering.

"It's Naruto, he's moved."

He knew it didn't sound like much, but Danzo's facial expression immediately changed.

"How… this is incredible." Danzo murmured.

Sakura had told him, they ran into each other while Sasuke was walking home from patrol. She made an invitation for him to visit her if he wished, but he had to decline.

He knew Danzo wanted to know.

Danzo got off his chair, and started pacing.

"This must mean Hiashi really is going to do it… otherwise he wouldn't have moved the boy closer to her. He thinks that I'd come back and try something on that day…"

Sasuke didn't know what Danzo meant by any of what he was saying. He just stood there, watching the old man pace with a limp. He glanced over at the counter he was working at. There was a small black box resting next to the books. There was needles and tread and a scalpel laying near it as well. The box seemed to be empty, but he couldn't get a good look.

What was he doing?

"Danzo…" Sasuke tried to interrupt.

"Shh Sasuke, I'm making a plan." Danzo told him. "We have the opportunity to put this plan into action much sooner than originally thought."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little shorter than the previous few chapters, but still has some nice things going on.
> 
> I might break the next chapter into two, since I have a feeling it is going to be very long…
> 
> So keep reading, reviewing, and liking/commenting/subscribing/retweeting/reblogging/sharing/whatever


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ho my, what a long chapter ahead of you… just over 8,000 words for your enjoyment.
> 
> So with that, let's get started.

He wanted to scream, he wanted to scream so bad. He wanted to cry or punch something or even just be knocked out, anything to make this pain stop.

He was told not to scream, someone could hear the sound and it'd be all over for the two of them. So he took it. He didn't know what he was getting into, but he wanted the end result.

He wanted that power.

He was in the middle of the room, and Danzo had his hand over Sasuke's eyes, reciting something that Sasuke didn't understand. The room glowed a slight green, coming from Danzo's hand. It was his hand that was always wrapped, always covered. It still was covered, but he was using for this task.

Sasuke was given the ultimatum a few weeks back. Danzo never went into detail how he had the power he did, or what he was going to do to Sasuke to get it done, but he promised Sasuke power. He was going to be able to completely evade any sort of attack that Danzo would do to a room of people, the ability to see through people, see their organs and know where to strike, and hearing on par with bats themselves.

It was that, or he was no longer a valuable source to Danzo.

Danzo took a deep breath, removing his hands from Sasuke's face.

Sasuke didn't move for a few minutes, he stayed laying on the table, breathing heavy. His face was sweaty, hairs sticking ho him. He could feel his clothing sticking to his body.

The first thing he did was open his eyes, slowly at first. The ceiling looked no different than what it normally did. He turned his head towards Danzo, feeling his hairs being pulled by the wooden table. He looked at Danzo in confusion.

He looked just the same as he did before they started.

Sasuke could feel the rage in his body. Did he just go through that pain and torture just for it to not work? Did he even do anything?

Sasuke tried to get up, but Danzo started laughing.

"Confused? It's not as if you have that power all the time, and even then, you have to recover." Danzo explained, approaching Sasuke.

"Give it a day, but when you're ready, I'll teach you how to use it."

And sure enough, the next day he came back.

Danzo showed him how to use his powers, where to concentrate his energy, what words he has to think, everything,

It was like night and day.

He could hear conversations from across the street like he was standing there next to them. If he wanted, he could see the internal organs of every person, knowing exactly where arteries were, veins, their heart, anything. He could even read other languages. The books that Danzo had, the ones written in languages and symbols he couldn't ever understand were perfectly clear to him now.

Even Danzo's notes themselves were readable.

Sasuke was convinced this is what he was looking for. Raw strength he already had, but this was something no other person could do, something that made him an asset.

This was what he was wanting.

…..

She was nervous.

Of course, anyone in her situation should be. Everyone in the country was going to be watching her, waiting. Waiting to see what she would do. Her first impression was one she couldn't afford to mess up. Hundreds of people were gathered in the room just to the other side of where she was, and outside on the castle grounds were thousands more. She was grateful she didn't have to do a speech.

The announcements came in the form of letters and newspapers. Other royalty and leaders received their invitation by mail, and they were sitting in the room. The rest of the country found out by announcement by printed newspapers found in stores, street corners, and by word of mouth. They were the ones standing outside. The weather had started to warm up and there were some chairs scattered through the grounds.

Every worker they could find was staffed today. Cleaning carpets and tiles and curtains, providing drinks for those waiting inside, escorting everyone, preparing housing for those staying overnight because of how much it was to travel this far.

It wasn't every day the country crowned its new queen.

"I think I'm going to be sick." She muttered, sitting down in the lone chair of the small room. The castle was filled with them, small preparation rooms next to big event rooms. This one was like most. No windows, just a few lamps. There were some chairs in most, but this one only had one. That was all there was to them.

Naruto was standing with her, and he laughed.

"Hinata, you don't even have to speak. You just have to walk down the aisle to your father, and he does all the talking. You just stand there and look pretty, which is hard for you not to do." Naruto explained, leaning against the wall next to her.

She laughed at his banter, knowing he was trying to calm her down. But the feeling sick part was true, but it may have been how tight this dress was, and how hot it was making her.

She had never worn something so fancy in her life. Not to her mother's funeral, not to any ball or festival or party, and not even to other countries.

Her hair was really the only thing she liked. All of it aside from a few side strands were pulled back into multiple different buns. She loved it because her hair was so hot and long, it was off of her neck. It also helped keep her crown in place, since it wrapped around her head. The dress, much unlike most of her dresses, fanned out at her waist so much, she felt like she could rest her arms on it. The fabric was heavy, and it shined when the light hit on it. The collar wrapped around her neck, with buttons going from the top of her neck, down her back. The sleeves were just awful to her. She hated puffy sleeves on just about anyone, but even more so herself. The putted out at her shoulders, cinching back in at her upper bicep with a gold ribbon signifying the end of the puff. The sleeves trailed down her arm, almost like they were tapped down it was so tight.

The bodice wasn't much better. Underneath her chest was something almost like a corset that sucked her sides in, something she thought couldn't be smaller. She hated how it looked. It brought her chest up so much it was almost like a shelf, not something she was fond of displaying.

The worst part of it, however, wasn't even the dress. Along her collar bone was a gold chain that clasped together the cape she was wearing. It was tradition to always wear the color of the country on a cape to one's coronation. Her father did it, his father did it, and she was sure everyone before them did as well. It was extremely heavy, almost sixty pounds itself. Not only that but it was hot. The material was fuzzy, with a trim of white going around the edge. She thought it complimented the navy blue of her country, but that was really the only compliment she had for it.

"I'm changing as soon as I can." She told Naruto with determination.

"Don't worry, I feel the same way." He sighed, rolling his shoulder.

Naruto didn't have a job in the ceremony, aside from walking a few feet behind her, and standing to where he was facing her, so he could see behind her to ensure her protection. The place was already littered with guards, all of which were tenured and had at least 10 years of experience. No one he really knew. But he was still jealous of them.

They all were wearing the standard uniform. The breast plate and the chainmail he was used to, with the boots that went right below your knee. Him, on the other hand, he was told to wear the complete suit. Arm pieces, leg protection, shin guards, stupid hand covers, and a dagger attached to one leg with a sword hung from his left side. It was the most uncomfortable thing to be in, so restrictive. He thought it did more harm than good when it came to him.

But her father said so, so he must.

"So after this, what happens?" he asked her. He knew that he was told before, but didn't really pay attention. Some coordinator came and told him a few hours ago, but he didn't even know her, henceforth, he did not pay attention.

"I sit in the throne room for who knows how long, and people bring gifts and blessings and good wishes." Hinata reminded him, sounding like she wasn't looking forward to it either.

"Well. At least gifts sound nice." He told her, trying to lighten the situation they had found themselves in.

"Yeah, but what would you even get someone that is ruling your country? As much as I hate saying it, I can get anything I need or want at any time."

"That's true… Well I'll take it if you don't want it." He joked. She laughed at him.

Their relationship had gotten very close over the past month that he lived there, in more ways than one. No matter where she went, to get food, visit with her father, walk the grounds, meet with people, he went with her. Even if she was taking a bath he was standing outside the room, on watch. Not once had any situation happened where he had to intervene, but he never was going to admit it. He loved spending time with her so much that he didn't want that taken away because he wasn't needed.

He still hadn't told her. There were so many times, carriage rides, meals, and walks across the castle, where they were alone and he could have told her, but nothing ever felt right. The situation never seemed to match the atmosphere of what he was wanting to say.

He still hadn't told her he loved her.

For what it was worth, he didn't know what it would accomplish, or what it would change. They were already together every waking hour of the day. He could kiss her more, something he always liked doing, but other than that…

He just wanted the weight off his chest.

"I don't know if I'm even ready." Hinata said, staring off straight.

Naruto turned his head towards her. "Hinata… I've been to just about every meeting you've had with anybody this past month, and I feel that I could even do it. Terribly, but I could. So if I feel like I could, I know for a fact you can."

Hinata sighed. "It's probably just my nerves." She admitted.

Naruto left the wall he was stationed against, turning in front of her. He bent over, grabbing her shoulders.

"You'll do fine. You're going to make a great Queen. I just know it." Naruto told her, looking her in the eyes.

She smiled at him, closing her eyes. She leaned her head forward, resting her head against his forehead. She grabbed his wrists.

"Every time you say you believe in me, I believe in me too." She said. She wanted to hug him, but was afraid her dress would snag on his armor.

Naruto smiled, wanting to do the same.

Maybe he could tell her now. They were alone, and she was leaning against him like this, it just seemed right.

But for some reason, he just couldn't. He even opened his mouth to say it, but nothing came.

There was a knock on the door, and they both pushed each other away, trying to act natural.

"Princess Hinata? Are you ready? Your father just started." A man poked his head through the door. The both thought he looked familiar, but couldn't place from where.

"Oh, yes. Thank you." Hinata told him, getting up from her chair.

"… Did I interrupt?" the man asked, observing their body language.

He was the same one that found them the night at the ball. Hinata felt embarrassed at the realization, but didn't mention it.

"No, don't worry." Hinata told him, straightening out the fabric of her dress. The lavender matched well with her skin.

She followed the man out of the room, Naruto walking behind her. She could feel her stomach starting to knot up, but nothing was going to help that right now.

She followed the man into the room. The door was closed to where the ceremony was being held, and she was positioned behind it. Soon the doors would open, and she would walk down as they practiced.

She didn't know she was shaking until Naruto put his hands on her shoulders from behind. She turned her head back towards him.

"You'll do fine." He told her, giving her shoulders a squeeze. She smiled and told him thank you.

Just then, the doors clicked open. They opened slowly and they both went back to how they should look. The doors creaked, echoing through the chamber. The floor was lined with a carpet for her to walk down, with piles of lilies lining the pathway. The room was rather small, compared to the other rooms in the castle at least. It was completely stone, showing how old the room was, with a chandelier that used candles. The windows were stained glass, depicting different images along each. At the end of the carpet was her father, up a small flight of stairs.

She breathed heavy, watching everyone stand up to greet her. They all bowed. She took a moment to sneak a glance at her father while everyone was down, and he smiled at her. She hesitantly smiled back.

She bowed back to the group waiting for her, and she made her walk. She walked slowly, the sound of her steps could be heard clearly and pronounced. She held her head high, with her shoulders back, her cape dragging behind her. A small smile never left her face.

Naruto thought she was doing a great job of covering up her nerves.

She stopped and waiting at the bottom of the steps. Naruto moved to the side of her, and took her hand. The walked up together. Before he let go of her hand, he gave it a slight squeeze. She turned in to face her father.

Naruto could how nervous she was just from touching her hand.

She bowed, lowering her head, and closing her eyes. Her body was almost parallel to the ground. The gesture was to show her complete trust in her father. Her neck was presented before him and she had no weapon or defense. She was trusting him to do the right thing.

She never thought this gesture was necessary in this day, just because they only did it in olden times in case the successor was from a different family if no immediate heirs were able to take the throne. But her father insisted, so she did it.

Her father took her crown off of her head, placing it to the side. Hinata returned to her natural position, facing the crowd.

Her father grabbed a sword from off the table, unsheathing it.

Naruto saw it catch the light and knew immediately this was different than most swords. He debated if it was even a sword at all. He stared at it, trying to figure out what the material was.

It looked like it was made of crystal.

It was almost see-through, and the way the light shone off of it from the stained glass windows was breathtaking. But he had to wonder what the point was. It wasn't an effective sword, it would break too easily.

Hinata held out her hands, and her father placed the sword across them.

"Do you promise and vow your purpose to be entirely to your country, the one with which you shall rule and guide."

She breathed in, taking a moment to herself.

"I promise and vow."

"Do you furthermore promise and vow that you will only lead this country to prosperity, in no way bringing harm to it for any reason?"

"I promise and vow."

"Do you furthermore promise and vow that you will not abuse the power that has been bestowed upon you?"

"I promise and vow."

"You swear this on your life?" Hiashi stated. This one sounding more like a question than the others.

"On my life, I swear." She stated clearly.

Hiashi reached behind him, opening a box that rested on a pedestal. Naruto recognized the box from months ago. It had the same clasps and design. It was the box her mother's crown was in.

He had never seen it, but he knew that Hinata kept it close to her. It never crossed his mind that she would be wearing the crown that was her mothers.

He made a mental note to ask about her mother one day.

Hinata turned and faced her father again, bowing again. The sword her father handed to her was still in her hands. Her father reached into the box, and pulled out the crown. Like Hinata's, it was silver, and it had groves that ran up and down it, creating a ripple effect. It was also much taller than her own.

Hiashi slipped it over her head, nestling it on her head. Once he was sure it was secure, he took the sword from her hands.

Hinata raised back up, facing the crowd of people in front of her. They were all still standing, never sitting down. She slowly bowed her head towards them all, and they bowed back.

Naruto stood there, wanting to be amazed with everything that was happening, but he couldn't shake a feeling like this was all going too well. Hinata hadn't stuttered or tripped, no one was acting suspicious, and Hiashi didn't forget any words that he swore he would.

Nothing wrong at all.

Naruto glanced at all those in the audience, studying their facial expressions. They all seemed either happy or bored, no one that looked mad or disgusted, nothing like that. He turned his head behind him, and all was well there. The hidden doors were closed, none of the banners had been moved, nothing hiding behind them either. He slowly turned his head to the front, and everyone was still listening to Hiashi talked.

He hoped everything really was just going right.

Hinata took a step down from the raised platform, and Naruto followed behind her. She walked gracefully, and Naruto thought she was walking with actual confidence, and not just pretending. He was happy for her. Maybe it was the respect that everyone showed her that did it. Or maybe her father's words, he didn't know.

She walked out of the room and down the hallway, continuing to another set of doors. There she waited, catching her breath while she could.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty." Naruto joked. Hinata was panting, but she still smiled at him.

"Don't call me that… Just Hinata is still fine." She said, propping a hand on the wall to support her.

"Even on your coronation day, you're still so humble." Naruto replied, leaning against the wall she had a hand on. "…You okay?" he asked her, beginning to worry about how much she was breathing heavily.

"Yeah… just… I don't think I took… a breath…. The entire time." She said honestly which made him laugh.

' _Sounds like her´_ he thought. She always had a habit of not breathing when she was nervous.

"Okay, time for part two. Father should be finishing up in there, so we need to get this done." She said, finally catching her breath. She straightened her back, looking at Naruto.

"Is my crown straight?" She asked him, pointing to it.

In all honesty, Naruto thought it was. But he wasn't going to pass an opportunity to touch her hair.

"Mmm…" He said, reaching his hands out. He moved it a bit over one way, then back to where it started. He brushed the strands of her hair that were loose with his fingers, enjoying how soft they were.

"There you go, perfect." He told her. Hinata smiled.

"Okay, let's do this…" She said with a sigh.

Hinata walked to the middle of the doorway, nodding to the two men on both sides. She straightened out her dress right before they started pulling the doors open. Naruto saw her take a deep breath.

The light was almost blinding as the doors opened, causing Naruto to wince. Hinata walked through as if it didn't faze her. Naruto followed behind her, keeping his distance.

Hinata stepped out onto the balcony that overlooks the biggest part of the castle grounds. It was covered with people. Men, woman, children, anyone that wanted to be there was invited. The stood there, squished together for who knows how long, just to get the chance to witness the princess become their queen.

It was instantaneous, the roar of applause. Everyone was clapping, yelling, some were jumping and throwing themselves into each other in excitement. Naruto even thought the balcony was vibrating with their yells.

He stood next to Hinata, completely in awe by the site before him. There were so many people crammed into this one area, he didn't even think there was this many people in the entire city.

…

"It should be any time now." Sakura said as she stood, crushed into the other people gathered in the courtyard. This was the first time in her life that someone new was crowned to lead their country and she sure wasn't going to miss it.

"Yeah, they're standing behind the doors, just waiting… probably." Sasuke told Sakura, looking up at the balcony.

"I wonder if Naruto is with her. I mean, being promoted to her personal guard is a huge honor, I'm sure that he would be." Sakura asked. She noticed recently that whenever she asked Sasuke something, his answer was usually right. He never told her how he knew, he just always seemed to know.

"Yeah, I'm sure he is." He replied.

Sakura met him here completely by chance. They had no plans to go together, but it was as if fate made them meet here. It had to have been, with every person in the county gathered here. He was reluctant at first to let her stand with him, but after a while he didn't seem to mind.

Naruto, on the other hand, she hadn't seen in at least a month. Well, she had seen him plenty of times. Escorting Hinata, steering a horse while she sat behind him, sitting with her in meetings- really she saw him every day, but she never got to talk with him. It was only by asking around had she figured out what happened. She wanted to punch him for not telling her, but she could also understand why he didn't.

She wanted it to be like what it was when they were in training. She, Sasuke, and Naruto were always the top three in any training they had to do. They bonded and helped each other in the areas where others were weak. They ate together, trained together, and we're just together for most everything. She craved those days again, but she knew it was only for selfish reasons.

"Oh, the doors are opening!" Sakura exclaimed, pointing up at the balcony.

She watched as Hinata stepped out. The crown around her head was almost blinding as it reflected off the sun. Her dress shimmered, and her cape was the most vivid color.

And from behind her stepped Naruto.

"Yep, there he is…" She muttered with a smile on her face. She turned her head to Sasuke to see if he noticed too.

"Hey Sasuk-… Sasuke?" Sakura had stared, but Sasuke wasn't there anymore. She blinked a few times, in shock that she hadn't noticed he left. She turned her body around a few times, trying to spot him, but she had no luck. Everyone was jumping and cheering, and she was getting pushed in every which direction, since she wasn't paying attention.

She turned herself back towards Hinata, a look of worry on her face.

….

"They're going crazy…" He murmured to her.

"Well, it's not every day the country gets a new Queen. However, I didn't expect this much of a reaction either." She confessed.

Naruto was glad that the people were happy about Hiashi's decision. He was glad that Hinata noticed to.

He took a few steps back from her, letting her do her thing.

Her hand raised slowly to the side of her, showing her palm out to the crowd, and the entire city fell quiet. Not a word, not a yell, and no clapping. Hinata closed her eyes, and bowed. She bowed to all of them, showing her loyalty to serve them, and they not serve her.

Naruto was the first to bow back, then the bow went row by row to the people in the crowd. Not a single person didn't bow back.

Hinata felt elated. She was happy that all of them were happy. A few years ago she would have never pictured this day even happening, but now she was here, being accepted as the ruler of her country.

This was the moment where she felt like she was ready for this.

She raised herself back up, looking into the crowd as they all rose to meet her. Naruto walked back over to her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Shall we return inside?" he asked her, motioning towards the door.

"Yes, we need to get the audiences started." Hinata replied, turning inward towards the door.

"Yeah, so I can get my free stuff." Naruto joked, and Hinata tried to hold in her laugh.

The two workers opened the door again, and Hinata started walking in, but was stopped by Naruto. His hand was firm on her shoulder. She turned her head back towards him.

"Naruto? What's-" she started. Before she could finish, Naruto was in front of her, almost like he was guarding her from something, but she didn't understand what.

"Just stay behind me." He told her, his eyes fixed on the doorway. She tried to look around him to see what he was talking about, but the sun was so bright that the doorway inside was completely black to her.

Then she felt it. It was heavy and her entire body felt like collapsing towards the ground. It was almost unbearable to keep standing, but she somehow did it. She kept looking in the doorway, recognizing this feeling.

She knew it was him, they both did.

They knew that the chance of him showing up for this was high, but he should have never been able to actually get inside the castle, there were so many guards stationed at each and every entrance leading up to where they were, even in the hidden hallways and alcoves, there's no way that no one would be aware of him.

"I see you're still around." He said, stepping out into the light.

It was him, it was Danzo.

"I see you've come back for more." Naruto told him, keeping his confidence up.

Danzo laughed, stepping closer and closer to them. Naruto's hand went to his sword.

"Quite the contrary. I didn't come for you…I came here for her." Danzo said slowly, pointing one frail finger at Hinata.

Naruto's eyebrows furrowed, and he could already feel Kurama getting all his power ready, knowing what was about to happen.

Naruto debated charging, but he also didn't want to leave Hinata open. His first priority was to get her to safety, but the only way inside the castle was through the doorway that Danzo was blocking.

He needed a plan, a diversion, something. He kept thinking. He could take his dagger and throw it at him, causing him to move. But then he would just be handing Danzo a weapon, plus he had no idea what Danzo was capable of right now. He could wait for Danzo to attack, but the same issue as the last scenario, he just didn't know what Danzo was able to do.

Speed, Naruto had speed. He could use that and race around Danzo, before he had time to react. It wasn't a great plan, but it was the only thing he had.

"None of those plans will work, I can assure you that." Danzo asked him, more coy than concerned.

In a flash, Danzo was gone.

Naruto drew his sword, sweeping his way around Hinata. Hinata stayed behind him as much as possible.

"Right here." Danzo said.

Hinata and Naruto both jumped. He was standing right behind her. Before Naruto was even turned around all the way, they were both gone, Hinata and Danzo.

Naruto was in complete shock from what just happened, unable to comprehend where they just went. He was in a panic, the one job he had, the one person he was supposed to protect, he couldn't do.

He reappeared, standing back in the doorway again. Hinata was with him. His hand over her mouth, to prevent her from yelling.

Naruto wanted to snap, he wanted to go all out, all the power he had just to stop this man. He wanted so badly to just kill him, right then and right there with all the force he had. The look on Hinata's face was enough to do it.

But he couldn't, he couldn't risk Hinata.

…..

Sasuke knew that Danzo had preoccupied Naruto outside. He followed Danzo inside, putting everyone they passed under hypnosis. Danzo was planning on Sasuke killing the King, and Danzo taking care of Hinata.

But Sasuke had a few different ideas in mind.

He could hear the king speaking from inside the coronation room, and Sasuke's hand went for the door.

He was ready, he could do this. Sasuke grabbed his sword with his left hand, and clenched the handle with his right, knowing deeply what he was about to do.

He opened the door.

…..

His eyes were red already, the marks on his face were darker, bigger, and his teeth more vicious and pronounced that before. That's all he wanted for now. He needed speed, and this was enough.

"That face looks familiar, doesn't it princess? Or I guess, you're a queen now, aren't you?" Danzo asked sarcastically.

Naruto moved. He jolted from his spot, leaving a crevice in the stone from where he stood. IT was a mere second before he was behind Danzo himself. Danzo quickly moved out of range from his sword, missing it by a mere inch.

Naruto moved again, And Danzo still barely evaded. Once more, Naruto moved behind him. Naruto knew that Danzo couldn't keep up his evasive maneuvers, and at one point he was going to slip. Hinata was weighing him down, his movements were too slow, and surely he would let her go at some point.

He didn't realize that he would let her go so soon.

Instead of evading, he did what Naruto thought he would never do. Naruto drew his sword for his third attack, but this time it hit.

Not Danzo, but Hinata.

He disappeared from in front of Naruto, leaving just Hinata there to take the hit. He had pierced through her side. She stood there, complete and utter shock. She was too traumatized by the pain to say anything.

Naruto stood there, his hands shaking. He was trying to comprehend what had happened, how Hinata was the one that was stabbed and not Danzo. His eyes followed his sword into her body, watching as blood stained that one spot.

At this point, all those people who were watching from below in the courtyard were screaming, yelling, and running to try to get out of there. They didn't know what was happening, but they all saw the Queen stabbed, there wasn't any definition to the word calm.

Naruto paid that no mind, instead he took his sword out of Hinata, hearing the sound of her blood hit the ground. He caught her in his arm before she fell over, gently paying her on the ground. He knew Danzo was waiting for him, and he was sure to make him pay, but right now, Hinata was his full attention.

"Wh-what ha-" She tried to speak, but Naruto told her to be quiet.

"Just stay quiet, okay? I'm going to fix you, alright? You'll be fine." He told her, trying to not sound shaky, unlike what his hands were doing.

He could see the tears in her face, and he was sure it was from the pain. He fought back his own tears from\seeing her like this, knowing that he did it. He was trying so hard not to risk her life, but in the end, it didn't matter.

He tried not to think about it and put a hand on her wound.

"Okay Hinata, this is going to hurt and …I'm sorry." He couldn't think of anything else to say.

" _C'mon Kurama, don't fail me now."_ _Naruto told the fox in a panic._

" _ **Like I would let her die!"**_ _Kurama returned._

Naruto's hand started glowing with an orange aura, healing her wound.

Hinata started screaming at the pain. She tried to get up off the ground, and Naruto had to force her to stay in the position. He took his free hand and pushed it against the top of her stomach.

"Hinata… Hinata I know it hurts, but just bear with me for a little while longer…" He said, not looking her in the face, it hurt him too much.

Hinata passed out from the pain, something he knew she would do. He was grateful that she did, so now she wasn't fighting against him anymore. Her breathing was heavy and unpredictable. He knew he missed any vital organs, but a stab through the lower stomach isn't good either. He could feel her blood on his hands, but it was a small price to pay for making sure she was safe.

The wound started closing to Naruto's relief. He took off his hand guards and wiped his face, not knowing if it was sweat, tears, or a mix of the two. He steadily picked up Hinata, careful not to disturb where she was hurt. He took her inside, back into the room where they were at the beginning of the ceremony, and laid her down in there. It was the most covered place he could think of that was in close range. He took off her cape, and piled it under her head as a makeshift pillow. He brushed her hair off her face.

"I'll be right back, I promise." He told her, knowing she couldn't hear him. He leaned down, and kissed her forehead.

"I love you…" he whispered before he left.

He walked back out onto the balcony, looking for Danzo. It was really much of a challenge though, since Danzo showed up in front of him.

"I figured that was a good way to waste your energy." Danzo told him.

Naruto grit his teeth.

"I'm going to kill you." Naruto told him coldly. Danzo seemed to laugh.

"I think you have it the other way around." Danzo replied, slowly removing his arm from its resting place.

Naruto watched as Danzo started taking the bandages off his arm, and what he saw made him want to puke.

There were things woven into his arm. Naruto thought they looked like rocks or even gems, all with different symbols on them. There were veins pulsing from where they were inserted into his arm. Each was glowing with a different color.

"I've searched every corner of this world, worked for every royal family for generations, in some form or another, collecting books, spells, rituals, incantations, all for this plan. These are what give me that power, what let me never grow older than this. The last thing I need is her dead, but I can't do it myself."

Naruto furrowed his eyebrows. He had no idea what he was talking about with whatever was in his arms, but he knew that he was trying to get Naruto to kill Hinata.

"You're a monster." Naruto told him, grapping the handle of his sword tighter.

"You aren't better." Danzo pointed out.

They stared at each other for what seemed like eternity before either one of them moved.

It was Danzo first, and he disappeared again. Naruto was on high alert waiting for him to reappear, but when he didn't after a few seconds, he began to look around.

Over the edge of the balcony he saw him, standing in the now empty courtyard. Naruto knew he only moved down there to have a better playing field, but Naruto liked it better as well.

He jumped, joining Danzo below in the grassy area. Naruto cushioned the jump with Kurama's help.

They stood across from each other, still waiting for the next move to be made. They started circling, staring at each other and waiting.

Danzo made the first move. He dug his hand into the ground, disrupting the dirt from underneath Naruto. Naruto jumped back to avoid sinking in to the pit. Mid-jump Naruto was brought back down to the ground by the gravity that Danzo controlled. His body slammed into the ground, creating a small crater around him.

Danzo appeared next to him.

"Are you getting careless?" He mocked.

Danzo took the dagger from Naruto's leg, taking advantage of the fact that he was pinned down.

Danzo started to feel a weight around him, similar to what he was doing to Naruto, but it was thicker, almost tangible. He looked at Naruto's face and almost stumbled back. His eyes were piercing though him. Red with black slits, like voids, staring straight at him. They were filled with rage. The marks on his cheeks were completely black.

Naruto picked himself up off the ground, his eyes still focused on Danzo. He moved his hands, taking of pieces of his armor one at a time. Dropping them to the ground. He wanted to be fast and flexible, the heavy metal was just preventing that.

Besides, he didn't count on being hit.

The wind started blowing around him as he was being surrounded with an orange aura. It was heavier than it was before, more vivid to the eye. IT was covering every inch of his body, seeming to seep out of every pore of his skin.

Danzo was excited. This was what he wanted. Danzo breathed in deep, feeling his nose burn from the air. That power was what he was wanting.

" _ **How much are you wanting to hold back?"**_ _Kurama asked him._

_None is what Naruto wanted to say, but he didn't want to pull out everything if he didn't have to._

" _Let's do half for now." Naruto replied._

" _ **Heh, always trying to be a true hero."**_ _Kurama joked, but Naruto didn't laugh._

The aura around him covered him like a cloak, with three tails coming off of him. The ground around him was starting to break from the pressure. He took a small step.

Danzo blinked.

Naruto was in front of his face, hand inches away from him. Naruto dug his nails into Danzo's face, throwing him across the field. Danzo hadn't even landed before Naruto was next to him again, kicking into his back. The force flew him in the other direction, slamming him into the ground three feet deep.

Danzo laid there, completely sore. He could feel the blood dripping down his face from the claws that Naruto had. His entire body felt hot and heavy, but it just made him all the more sure that this power is what he wanted.

Naruto stood there, eyes flaring, as Danzo crept his way out of his hole. He stood up, a bit wobbly, and wiped his mouth.

"Not bad… but now it's my turn."

He held up his arm, and spikes flew out from underneath the ground. Naruto jumped out of the way to dodge them. He jumped towards Danzo, grabbing him. Danzo disappeared for a moment, taking Naruto with him. He was in the air, at least three stories about the ground. Naruto held on to him. His arm was tucked behind him in Naruto's grasp.

"What's your plan from here?" Naruto asked, a bit coy with his tone. He had Danzo wrapped up, his arm completely un-movable in this state. Naruto knew that he could take the fall, but not Danzo.

Danzo smirked.

Before Naruto could react to him, he felt something threw his chest. His chest, shoulder, and lower abdomen.

They were spikes, just like the ones that came out of the ground, but they came out of Danzo.

"What the hell…" Naruto scoffed, throwing Danzo to the ground. The spikes came out of his body, blood going with them.

He started falling, watching Danzo as they both fell. The spikes went back into his arm, like they never even existed.

Naruto made a note to avoid those.

Danzo hit the ground first, breaking the ground with his fall. Naruto hit the ground soon after with a thud. He stayed there for a while, staring at Danzo to make sure he wasn't moving. He waited, healing while he could.

" _Okay Kurama, I want to get him now, give me everything you've got." Naruto told the fox._

" _ **I thought you would never ask!"**_

Naruto started running, feeling the earth move below him as he kept going. He reached Danzo in seconds, using all the power he had do slam his foot into his back. Danzo dug deeper into the ground, at least by fifteen feet, if not more.

He took the aura from around him, gathering it in front of him. He shot it down the hole that he had made with his kick. The immense power from the blast created a giant crater in the ground, spanning thirty feet, and it went just as deep as the hole he kicked Danzo into.

Naruto could feel the strain on his body from Kurama's power. He was out of practice, and wasn't as used to this power as he once was, not ever need it again until now.

The immense power from the blast created a giant crater in the ground, spanning thirty feet, and it went just as deep as the hole he kicked Danzo into.

But Danzo shouldn't be used to it at all. The sheer power behind it was enough to singe skin on a normal person only using half power, at full there was nothing that could survive that.

Naruto felt a pain in his chest, causing him to fall to one knee.

"Shit… I didn't think I'd only have it for that long." He muttered, clenching at where his chest wound was. It was almost completely healed, just a scarred and bruised area now, but the pain was still there.

" _ **Sorry kid, but If I let you use it more, you cant recover from the damage."**_ _Kurama explained._

" _You could have told me that sooner…" Naruto replied, sweating._

Naruto brought himself back up to his feet, feeling Kurama's power fading down. If he kept using it, his body would just give in. He drug himself over to the crater in the ground, looking at Danzo. He couldn't see anything, the dust hadn't cleared away yet. His eyes focused at the middle of the cloud, trying to make out what he could.

Something burst out of the ground behind him, grabbing him by his neck.

"Gah!" Naruto yelled out, being brought down to the ground by the force. His knees dug into the ground. His hands grabbed at his neck, trying to figure out what was around him. It burned to the touch, but he didn't care, he just wanted it off of him. It felt almost like a collar. He turned his head as far back as he could, and he could see a chain coming out of the ground. But it wasn't made of metal, it was made of something he didn't know of, like made out of pure energy.

Suddenly another one came out from beside him, wrapping his arms to his body, his hands still around his neck. Another one came out, wrapping around his legs. His body fell to the ground.

"What the hell!" he yelled, trying to move.

"Oh that's no use." Danzo said, standing up from the crater in the ground. He was breathing heavy, his clothing looked singed, and there was blood on his face. From his chest were the same chains that wrapped around Naruto.

"What are you doing?!" Naruto yelled at him.

Danzo started to laugh. Soft at first, but grew louder of time.

"Simple, I want what you have. I had no idea that that fox was so powerful, especially to a human! So, I'm going to take him from you and seal him in me.

" _ **Naruto, you have to stop him! If I get pulled from you, you'll die!"**_ _Kurama warned him._

" _Yeah, I'm working on it!" Naruto yelled back, frustrated at the situation._

Naruto looked around, trying to figure out a plan, but nothing was coming to him. If he couldn't move, he was done for.

Then his eyes caught something. Someone was walking out towards the both of them. Naruto couldn't believe who it was, but there was no mistaking it.

It was Sasuke.

He was covered in blood, but looked completely calm approaching Danzo.

"S… Sasuke! Get away from him!" Naruto yelled out.

Sasuke shot him a glare that told him all he needed to know.

"Oh? You know Sasuke? Sasuke works for me, has been months now." Danzo told him, watching as Naruto's facial expression changed.

"Sasuke… to think you would…" Naruto gritted through his teeth.

Danzo turned his attention back to Sasuke.

"Did you do it?"

"Yes. He's dead." Sasuke told him coldly. Turning and walking behind Danzo.

"My my, so the king is dead, you're dead, and after that I'll have Sasuke kill-"

Danzo stopped talking.

Naruto stared at Danzo, trying to figure out what happened, but all he could see was Sasuke standing behind him.

The chains around Naruto disappeared, dissolving as is they never even existed. He slowly got up to his knees, staring at what was happening.

"Sorry Danzo, but you're the next person to die."

Naruto saw it now, he saw the sword that was shoved through Danzo's chest, right through his heart. Sasuke began twisting it.

"Thanks to the power you gave me, I could read through every single paper you had, all the notes, the rituals, everything." Sasuke continued. He took his sword out from Danzo, letting him fall to the ground.

"You were wanting to use Hinata as a sacrifice, since your pages called for the death or a woman born into royalty, ruler of her people. You were wanting to kill the king that night so she would have no choice but to accept the crown, but now that her father decided to give her the crown all on her own, that didn't matter anymore, did it?" Sasuke explained.

"And after she was sacrificed what was going to happen? Oh, complete destruction of the country. That's what it was. That's not what I want, that's not what my brother would want."

' _What is he talking about?'_ Naruto thought, completely confused with what was going on.

"Sorry Danzo, the future you're wanting is different from what I want. You want destruction, I want revolution."

Danzo laid there, completely motionless.

He stared over at Naruto. Naruto got up off the ground, walking closer to Sasuke. But Sasuke held his sword up, causing Naruto to stop.

"I didn't lie, I did kill Hiashi." Sasuke started. "But I left her alone."

Naruto stood there, his mouth dry. He could feel his head pounding, but tried his best to stay standing.

"Sorry, but I'm not staying here. One day we'll have our fight, but not today. I don't want to fight you when you're weak." Sasuke told him.

Naruto's eyes were getting heavy.

"Sasuke… what are you planning…?" He asked, stumbling forward.

"I'll be back, you can count on it." Sasuke told him.

Naruto fell to his knees, landing next to Danzo. The amount of strain he put on his body was immense, and he just couldn't take it anymore.

He didn't know what happened after that until he woke up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whaaaa all the things happened!
> 
> Sorry for taking a while to post it, but I don't write in the weekends and it was a bit longer than most. BUT! Next chapter should hopefully be out tomorrow, so stay tuned, and as always, favorite, follow and please review!


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my, it's the conclusion of the first arc, how exciting! There's probably only going to be two with an epilogue (maybe), but who knows, I might come up with something else.

The first thing she realized was that she was breathing. She wasn't expecting not to be, but no other sense had come to her yet aside from that. The air was warm, still, and inviting. A faint smell of flowers mingled in. After her breathing, it was the warmth around her body, a blanket, and then the cushion underneath her that she felt. Then it was the silk of whatever she was wearing, sliding on her body as she breathed.

She was in her bed.

She knew it was her room, there was always fresh flowers in her room every day, clipped from the garden that bloomed year round. The blanket she was wrapped in had the same smell that it always did. And she wouldn't be in her typical night wear if she was anywhere else.

Hinata thought about keeping her eyes closed, letting her sleep more, but a pain in her lower stomach forced her to open her eyes. It wasn't a huge pain, more like a throbbing, but even then it was just an annoyance more than anything else. Her head was turned to the side on her pillow, causing her to stare at a wall when she opened them.

She couldn't quite piece together what had happened yesterday. She remembered her coronation, she remembered everyone bowing to her outside, remembered Danzo, and getting hurt, but that was it. She didn't know who it happened, or how she ended up in here, how she was hurt, nothing like that.

How much time had passed since then? The sun was out, she could tell from how lit the room was, so it could still be the same day. Her lips were chapped, so some time must have passed. Maybe a day? She didn't know.

She heard a murmur.

Her eyes widened a bit at the sound. She turned her head to see who was in the room with her.

She stared down, not surprised at who it was.

His arms were crossed on the side of her bed, head resting on them. He was sitting in a chair, leaned over to sleep. He was in simple clothing, just a lose shirt and brown pants. Hinata noticed the bandaged heavily placed around his neck and upper arm. His hands were covered with them too.

What had happened to him?

She cleared her voice, making sure she didn't sound groggy.

"… Naruto?"

He didn't respond, still asleep. She gave him a slight nudge with her hand.

"Naruto." She repeated.

His breathing changed, getting caught in his throat as she interrupted his sleep. He dragged his body away from the bed, stretching out his arms with a yawn.

It reminded Hinata of a cat in a way.

Naruto slowly opened his eyes, blinking a few times before coming full to his senses.

"Wha… Hinata!" He exclaimed, getting up from his chair. The chair fell backwards as he sat on the edge of the bed and hugged her.

Hinata wasn't expecting him to be so affectionate in the morning, but she didn't mind. This hug was powerful, where he wrapped the entirety of his arms as much as he could around her body, and his head buried into her shoulder. He never hugged her like this. His hugs were always more gentle, more calming than this one was. This felt more of a hug out of desperation. Hinata took her arms and wrapped them around his back, letting him stay there.

She heard it first before she felt it. His hiccup, followed by the heat from his face and the tears that fell on her shoulder. He was crying. Hinata had never seen him cry like this before, she couldn't even remember seeing him cry in the first place. This was entirely new to her. Her sister never cried, her father never cried, nor did her mother. It was always her, and it was always someone else comforting her, never the other way around.

She did what he normally would to her, she pet his head. His hair was course and unruly, but still soft in its own way. She enjoyed the feeling and wondered if that's why he always did it. He spoke.

"I… i-m so sorry." He mumbled, trying to sound understandable.

"Why are you sorry?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"I failed… I didn't protect you. I was-the one that… hurt you." He stuttered out, still not moving from her.

Hinata remembered, her eyes closing with the memory. She remembered his sword going through her side. How she could feel the metal in her body, touching what she had never seen. She truly never wanted to feel something like that again, but she also knew that he wouldn't have ever done it on purpose.

"Hey..." She started, attempting to loosen Naruto's grip around her. But Naruto didn't falter.

"I just… it hurt so much to see you in pain. I-I healed the wound the best I could, but you just kept screaming and screaming in pain. I couldn't- bear to see you like that." He admitted.

Hinata kept her hand on the back of his head. She didn't know how shaken up he would be from this. She wanted to ask so bad what happened to him, but she knew she couldn't interrupt him like this.

"i-i…" he hesitated.

"I love you too much to see you like that."

Hinata kept still for a moment, staring off into her room. But for some reason, she wasn't surprised. At least, not by him saying it. She couldn't remember the last time someone had told her they loved her. But with him, she could feel how much he cared for her for months. It didn't matter if this was the first time he had said it to her, he showed her so many times before that. His jokes, his support, his protection- never once did she think he didn't care about her. So it didn't matter that he never said it, because he showed it.

And she felt the same way.

She exhaled deeply, resting her face over his shoulder, closing her eyes.

"I… I love you too much to see you like this…" she told him. "You did all you could, and look at yourself, you're more beat up than I am." She joked.

She could hear a small laugh from him. Slowly he pulled himself away from her, hiding his face in his arm, wiping it.

"What happened after everything?" Hinata asked.

"Tsunade found you after evacuating who she could. After you passed out I set you back in the small room we were in before the ceremony started." He explained. "She brought you back up here, and actually bandaged your wound."

Hinata put her hand at her side, feeling the binding that was there.

"What about you?"

"I passed out after our fight. I had used so much energy and was drained from whatever Danzo had done to me. When I woke up I was in my own room, bandaged and all." He said, holding out his arms so she could see them. "After I woke up, I came to find you and just… stayed here." He had a small smile on his face.

"So, what happened to you though? How did you get beat up like this?" she asked him.

Naruto's smiled dropped slowly at her statement, and his eyes looked down to the side. Hinata must have said something to do this. She looked at him curiously.

"Hinata… There's a lot you need to know from yesterday." He told her, closing his eyes. Hinata sat up more, feeling how serious the situation was. His body language changed, his tone changed, he wouldn't even look at her.

"… Okay, what happened?"

Naruto started with a sigh.

"Danzo was killed." He started off. Hinata breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well that's good news!" She happily said, putting a hand to her chest in relief. But Naruto just shook his head.

"We fought, and I mean, fought. There's a giant crater in the courtyard from it. And he… I don't know what he was using or doing but…" Naruto grabbed his neck. "He almost killed me" Naruto told her.

She was silent.

"It wasn't me that killed him, it was Sasuke. You remember Sasuke, right?" Hinata nodded her head. "He... He was working with Danzo, for months at least. He just showed up and killed Danzo after…"

Naruto stopped, not wanting to continue.

"After he what?" Hinata asked, concerned.

Naruto just shook his head. His hand was balled into a fist on his knee.

"After he what, Naruto?" Hinata said more firmly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"… it was disgraceful, Hinata. The… the sword that was used during your coronation it was… it was stabbed right through him…"

Hinata started to shake, knowing who he was talking about. She didn't want to believe it, she didn't have to as long as he didn't say it.

"…after he killed Hiashi."

Her hand clenched on Naruto's shoulder, but she just kept staring. This was the second time she had felt this emotion of loss over the past two months. She wanted to cry, but for some reason she couldn't.

"I shouldn't have been the one to tell you, but Hinata, I'm truly, deeply, sorry." Naruto told her, grabbing the hand that was on his shoulder.

"I… part of me just can't believe it." She told him, still looking down. "And maybe a part of me… expected it to happen it eventually." Hinata shook her head.

Suddenly Hinata jerked her head up, realizing something.

"H-Hanabi! What about Hanabi?!" She exclaimed, grabbing both of Naruto's shoulders.

"She's fine, don't worry. Sasuke told everyone else to evacuate the room, he just… wanted to kill him." Naruto told her, trailing off at the end.

Hinata sunk back down into her bed, relieved her sister was safe.

"Are you okay for me to continue?" He asked her. He knew it was a lot of information for her to process at once, and he didn't want to overwhelm her.

"Yeah… I'm fine." She told him, taking a breath.

"After Sasuke killed Danzo, he said that he would be back to fight me one day… and just left."

Hinata was confused by his statement.

"Left? Did he leave the country?" Hinata asked.

"I don't know, but… he said he wanted a revolution, Hinata. I don't know what would have caused him to go this far, but we can't let it happen." Naruto told her.

Revolution. Hinata knew all too well what that meant. Many other countries went through revolutions, hundreds we're killed, rulers were slain, and the countries never recovered fully from what happened. The thought of it terrified her to no end. Naruto knew that.

She thought about what her father told her, how his father had left him a country when he died, and now that someone was threatening revolution, even if it was just one person, she didn't know what to do.

She wanted he father's advice.

It was then she started crying, uncontrollably. She felt the urge to speak with him so much, but it wasn't going to happen, never again. She would never hear him scold her, never talk about policies, relationships, treaties- and she would never hear him tell her 'Good Job" while putting a hand on her shoulder again.

He was really gone, and everything was on her.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, before we get started, I want everyone to know that I've decided three arcs, this one you are starting is veeeeery Naruto and Hinata centric, so there isn't a lot of action, but a lot of fluff going on…it'll also not be 19 chapters like the previous arc, probably about 10 or so.
> 
> Also very important questioned posed in the notes at the end of the chapter. So read that, respond to it, cuz I need ta know. .

"Yes."

Hinata was walking down the hall, feeling surrounded by people. All of them had something in their hands, a bill that was drafted, a change they wanted made, and an amendment that they wanted passed. Hinata held her head high even while being swamped by people.

The past six months had given her plenty of time to practice this. In the beginning it was more people than she could have imagined, constantly at her side, asking for something. At that time, it was easy for her to feel overwhelmed and not know what to do in the situation. Over time she got used to it, and now she still felt overwhelmed, but it was easier to control. She didn't let it affect her, she simply kept walking.

It was hard, starting this on her own. She knew it would be hard with her father by her side, but he not being there just made everything tougher. It was every day that she was reminded of him, and how their county mourned for the first moth together. It was never bright, there were no celebrations, and everyone had the same atmosphere about them. Hinata never showed her breakdowns in front of anyone except Naruto, she didn't want her country to see her in such a state. Over the months the mourning has died down with the springtime, and summer was just around the corner. The nation seemed to grow again with the changing of the season.

Of course, what came with growth was more things she had to sign.

"What about this one? We raise taxes by 1% in order to provide more funding for schools." Someone said to her as she walked.

"No, we need to find other areas we can cut, and not tax everyone for a service they shouldn't have to pay for. Try looking into the grounds keeping for the castle, surely we can cut there." She told him as they reached the end of the hallway. The man accepted that answer and went on his way, looking over the numbers he could.

Hinata placed her hand on the door at the end of the hallway, pausing for a moment. She turned her head slightly to the side, looking at the ones still waiting for an answer. Most of them she knew she had spoken to already and they refused to change their answers.

"Anything else?" She asked.

They all shook their heads.

"Good." She told them, turning back towards the door. It was time for dinner, and she had a date she didn't want to be late for. She pulled the door open, hearing the people behind her leave. She slipped inside, leaning against the door as she closed it. The private dining hall was one of her favorite places to be, there wasn't any windows in the room, so it was completely secluded. Only people who are authorized to be in here can be let in. She slid down it with a sigh, relieved to be alone.

Well, for the most part.

"You look tired." Naruto told her, getting up from the spot he was sitting at. He walked over towards her, sitting down beside her on the floor.

Naruto never was relieved as her personal guard after Danzo's death. He goes with her anytime she leaves the castle, but while she's in it, he typically helps train new soldiers or helps Tsunade with whatever she would be doing. On very rare occasions he would leave for assignments Tsunade only knew he could do, but those were far and few between.

Besides, the person he wanted to be with was right next to him.

Hinata sighed, leaning her head onto his shoulder. He turned his head and buried it into her hair. The smell always was nice to him.

"I'm exhausted…" she told him truthfully. His shoulder was comfortable enough that she could have fallen asleep right there if it wasn't for how hungry she was.

Naruto grabbed her hand, placing it in his. He slowly massaged her thumb with his own.

"But every day is getting easier, right? You had so much leftover from your father to do, and once all that is done, it's going to be a whole lot less exhausting." He reminded her.

She remembered being presented with the stack of papers that were all halfway done by her father. So many different things that she had to read through and learn about and approve or decline. Each took at least four hours to properly review. She was down to the last few now. She spent at least eight hours a day just going through those. It was hard to continue doing daily, since she was only getting two done a day, but it was finally about to pay off.

"Yeah, that's true." She replied, nuzzling her head into his shoulder more. He took the arm that was holding her hand and wrapped it around her, squeezing her shoulder. His other arm wrapped around her front, keeping her steady as she laid there. He kissed her forehead.

The past six months had been some of the best times in his life. He didn't have to act properly around her, didn't have to act like he was just protecting her because he was told to. He could hug her and kiss her and just be with her every day, it was almost surreal for him. Every day he was impressed by how well she was doing at ruling a country. It was a side of her he had never seen. She was firm, sometimes even demanding, because she knew what she had to do to get things done. He was amazed by the person she had become, and couldn't be more supportive or in love with her. Some days he didn't get to see her at all, and while he hated those days, he knew they we're bound to happen.

But he cherished every moment he got with her.

"Plus, you know I'm always here." He said with a grin. Hinata laughed at him.

"Oh yeah, I know." She replied.

Her stomach growled slightly, and Naruto could see her face grow red with embarrassment. He never knew why she was so embarrassed about things like that, but it always made her seem cuter.

"I-I'm rather hungry…" she admitted, hiding her face from him. He laughed at her.

"I'm sure that food will be out in a second." He said, poking her stomach. She started laughing, grabbing where he poked. She poked his side back.

She poked something that didn't feel like person, it was crinkly. Hinata turned her head to the side and poked it again.

"…what's that?" She asked him, continuing to poke it.

"Hm?" Naruto said, reaching into the inside pocket of his shirt. He pulled out a folded piece of paper. Naruto stared at it, remember what it was.

"Ah… this." Naruto told her, unfolding the paper. "These are all the notes I took over everything I found on Sasuke today." He explained, reading them over.

Ever since Sasuke left, Naruto thought himself responsible for it. If Naruto had been a better friend, maybe Sasuke wouldn't have gone down that path, if he could learn enough about Sasuke, maybe he could prevent whatever he was planning. Maybe some hint would give him an idea of where he was hiding. Something, anything, Naruto was looking for it.

"You're taking notes on him?" Hinata replied, sensing the change in tone of the conversation.

"Yeah… I went through his file today at the Military grounds, don't tell Tsunade, and I found… a lot." He said, showing Hinata how full his paper was.

"Anything important?" She asked, not getting the chance to read it over before he turned it back.

"Kind of. Back when he was little his parents were killed." Naruto started.

"Oh… how terrible." Hinata commented. She had lost her mother when she was young, she couldn't imagine losing both.

"Yeah, and that's not all. His brother, only a kid himself, was in the Military. I even went through his file." Naruto said, grabbing another piece of paper from his shirt. Naruto showed her the page, stating 'Uchiha, Itachi' ah the top.

"How many files did you go through?" Hinata asked him, rather curious.

"That's not important." He remarked before he continued. "What _is_ important is his brother is dead too."

"What?"

"Yeah, right after their parents died, he was sent out on an assignment, and was killed. It was something that was left open that no one wanted to take, since the risk of death was so high. Finally your father told everyone that someone needs to take it, or else he's going to assign it to someone. He signed up for the assignment the day before his parents were killed." Naruto explained, going back and forth between the two pages.

"And father still had him go through with it? How terrible of him! He shouldn't have sent him off like that-" Hinata started, not believing her father would do such a cruel thing. But Naruto stopped her.

"No, that's the thing. Hiashi told him he was to not take it, but Sasuke's brother was firm on going. He even asked for reasoning behind it and he said something like 'For the good of the country, I'll go. I feel like I'm the only one that can do it.' "Naruto told her.

"Oh… he put his country first before his own brother?" Hinata asked him.

"That's what it sounds like, so maybe Sasuke hates his brother and wants to ruin the country he died protecting?" Naruto theorized, but he didn't believe what he was saying.

"But didn't Danzo want that?" Hinata asked, thinking back to what Sasuke said while he killed Danzo.

"Exactly, Danzo wanted destruction, but Sasuke wanted revolution… It just doesn't make sense." He huffed out, running a hand through his hair.

He sighed, turning to face Hinata.

"Ah well, I'll figure it out." He said, hugging her. "For now, I have a lovely dinner date with you."

Hinata laughed, giving him a kiss.

…..

Eating dinner together is something that Hinata and he did just about every night. Sometimes Hanabi would join them, but she never cared to be around them being, as she put it 'all lovey on each other' so she usually would have dinner at a separate time. They enjoyed the small talks and catching up with what happened, since they usually didn't see each other until dinner. It took Naruto a while to understand that food would just be brought to him, he didn't have to make it, set tables, wash dishes, nothing. He was overwhelmed by it the first few times, but he had gotten pretty used to it by now.

Naruto walked Hinata back to her room in the castle, which was once her fathers. She didn't make the move into the room until a month ago. They had completely redone it, wanting to make it not seem like the same room. She eventually did move, since her father was planning it in the first place. It was, in his words, rightfully hers.

Naruto didn't move however, as he was still about the same distance from her as he normally was. However, her room was further out of the way from the dining hall, but he always walked her to her room. It was really the last time they saw each other for the night, so he made it a point to always do it.

"What do you have to do tomorrow?" he asked her before reaching her bedroom door. She sighed, putting her hand to her head.

"Too much" was her reply. She smiled at him though, trying not to think about how much she had to do.

"So like today?" He asked, joking with her. He was upset that it would be a day similar to today, but he knew she couldn't help it.

"Yeah, just about the same." She told him, reaching for her door.

"Well then, I guess I'll let you sleep." He told her, knowing it was getting late. They didn't have dinner until almost ten at night, and by now he was sure it was eleven.

She hugged him, like they did every night. They wrapped themselves fully into each other. No one was up at this hour, no one was around to care. She didn't have to be a Queen right now, she could just be Hinata.

She could just be his.

He tried to take him mind off of everything. In this moment. Her smell, her warmth, and her touch were enough to make him forget his day. He truly loved these moments.

They broke away for a moment, only to kiss. It was their goodnight kiss. It was sweet and tender, never forceful, just bliss.

And he'd be damned if he ever missed this kiss.

They both pulled away slowly, smiling at each other. Hinata's face was a bit more red than usual, but it always was whenever they kissed.

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" She told him, running her hand down his arm.

"Yeah, tomorrow sounds nice." He replied, giving her one last kiss on the forehead before leaving.

They parted ways for the night, not seeing each other again until morning.

…..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I know not a lot happened in this chapter, but don't worry, more things happen I sweaaaar it)
> 
> Okay, real question here.
> 
> I'm debating putting some aah… action in a chapter coming up. It won't be for a while, but I don't want it to be completely random and thrown out there and you all not expect that. But yeah, Smut yay or nay. There won't really be any plot in that chapter, at least I don't think. If we decide not to, then it'll just be implied they did. Also not sure if I can write 2000 words of smut, don't know if I've tried.
> 
> Anyway, that's all I have for this chapter. Hope you enjoyed and remember to favorite, follow, and review!


	21. Chapter 21

Hinata sat at the end of the table. It was one of the smaller meeting rooms within the castle, it felt more cozy than most. Hinata spend most of her time during the day in this room. This is where she went over documents, made plans, took naps when she could, and met with anyone that she had summoned. The room had grown to have its own personal touches of hers. Instead of sending fresh flowers to her room every day, she would have them sent here for her to enjoy. Her meals were sent here, and sometimes Naruto would even join her for lunch if he wasn't busy. The stiff wooden chair that was originally in here she had replaced with something more cushioned, and was much more comfy. One of the drawers in the cabinets along the walls had a stash of blankets for her if she ever wanted them. She kept the windows opened most of the time, to have a breeze flow though, since the castle was hotter during the spring and summer.

There was a knock at the door.

Hinata lifted her head from the pages in front of her, both thankful for the interruption, but loathing what it might be.

"Yes?" Hinata responded after clearing her throat. The door opened rather clumsily as Tsunade and Naruto walked in.

They both had stacks of papers in their hands, which Hinata figured is why they had so much trouble with the door.

"If your hands we're full you could have said something." She commented, watching them sigh in relief once they sat the stacks of paper down. They must have been a foot and a half tall each.

Tsunade put her hand on the top of the stack, catching her breath.

"Why are there so many stairs you have to climb to get up here?" she asked, putting a hand on her back. Naruto, on the other hand, didn't seem to have any issues.

"Maybe it's because you're old…" Naruto said just loud enough for Hinata to hear. She tried to hold in her laugh as Tsunade turned around towards him.

"You say something, brat?!" She yelled at him, holding up a fist.

"No, no I didn't say anything!" He defended, over exaggerating his response. Tsunade glared at him before she huffed.

"Anyway," She put her hand back on the stack of paper. "These are the applications for the next military training class that starts in a few months. You have to review them, and approve or deny them." Tsunade explained.

They both saw Hinata's shoulder's drop at the thought of more work to do.

"I see… when do you need them done?" she asked, a bit optimistic she didn't have to rush them.

"Well, by the end of the week would be preferred, so we can get swords and armor ordered, and train more horses and make sure we have enough training equipment." Tsunade explained.

Hinata lowered her head with a sigh.

"…I'll get them done, I promise." She replied.

Naruto started to walk over to her, wanting to tell her that she'll get it done and to not worry, but Tsunade put a hand on his shoulder.

"Naruto, give the Queen and I a moment alone, will you? Just wait outside." Tsunade asked him.

Naruto hesitated, but eventually agreed to her wish. He left the room, closing the door as quietly as he could. On the other, his ear was pressed firmly against the door, wanting to hear anything he could.

Tsunade, of course, knew he would do this.

She walked over to Hinata, and spoke softly.

"Hinata, why don't you just ask him for help?" She asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"I… I can't do that to him. I don't want to burden him more than I already do." She admitted, resting her head in her hands.

Tsunade laughed.

"I don't think I'm the person that needs to remind you of this, but the kid loves you, he'd do anything to spend more time with you. All he talks about all day is how he's so excited to see you at dinner, and how some days I'll catch him staring off at nothing, and I know he's thinking about you." She explained, sitting in a chair diagonal to her.

"I know he loves me, but he wouldn't even know where to start. At least I've had experience with these things all my life where as he... didn't" Hinata felt horribly saying it, but it was true.

Tsunade paused.

"What are you doing to him then?"

Hinata looked up at her, confused.

"I don't know what you mean."

Tsunade stared at her, leaning in closer.

"Do you expect him to always be with you, for the rest of your life? You do know what that means, right? You know what would happen if you married him." Tsunade told her.

Hinata stared at her, comprehending her words. When they finally sank in, she looked off to the side.

"He'd be King…" She paused, closing her eyes. It was a thought that was always in the back of her mind, but she had just been so overwhelmed by everything to give it more thought than that.

"And I don't know if that's your end game here or not with him, but if it's not, then you're just going to end up hurting him if you keep this up." Tsunade explained to her. She didn't know why she was so heated about this, maybe she just wanted what was best for Naruto, and he in complete heartbreak wasn't that.

"…Bring him back in here." She told Tsunade, pulling herself together.

Tsunade gave her a smile before she got up from her chair, headed towards the door. She paused for a moment, looking back at Hinata with a smirk.

She kicked the door.

"Gah!" They both heard from the other side. Tsunade opened the door, laughing, and as much as Hinata didn't want to, she laughed too.

"What was that for?!" Naruto yelled, getting up from the floor, holding the side of his face.

"Eavesdropping!" Tsunade replied, crossing her arms.

Naruto glared at her as he walked back into the room. He was already upset that he couldn't hear what they were talking about, but now he was even more so since he got hit by the door.

"Naruto." Hinata spoke. Naruto looked over at her and noticed how serious she looked in the moment. He straightened up.

"What is it?" He asked, walking over to her. She took a breath.

"I want your help." Hinata told him. Naruto could tell she was embarrassed, but couldn't figure out why.

"Sure, of course I will… what is it?" Naruto asked her, wanting to grab her hand.

Hinata looked at Tsunade, and she got the message to leave. She closed the door in a similar fashion to Naruto, and Hinata let out the breath she had been holding. Her shoulders and back relaxed again, and she slumped back in her chair.

"I need you to go through the applications." She explained, gesturing to the stack of papers they had brought in.

Naruto's heart sunk as he looked at the papers.

"… How do I do that?" he asked her, not taking his eyes off the stacks.

"Easy, you look over it, and get a feel if they would be a good fit for the military. Typically you do it twice, the first time taking out anyone that won't work, the second time to narrow it down to around one hundred and fifty." She explained.

She knew the process well, she had done it before. She even remembered passing Naruto's application.

"I mean…. You think I'm qualified to do this?" he asked, shifting his eyes between her and the papers.

Hinata laughed. "I wouldn't ask you if I didn't think so. Here, grab the first one."

Naruto took the first application down from the top of the stack.

"So, they seem to be in good shape, no existing health problems, no family member that has been to jail or had foreign affiliation, and his test scores are fairly good." Hinata explained, going through all the different fields on the page with him.

"So he's good?" he asked her, still staring at the page.

"Yep! You just put that application in one pile, and the ones that fail in a different pile." She explained.

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. "That seems easy enough, yeah, I've got this!" He said with confidence as he grabbed the next applicant.

"Good, good, good… this one scores didn't meet the goal, so they get thrown in the no pile?" He asked.

Hinata nodded.

Naruto grabbed another, yes. Then another, yes. Then another, no. Hinata watched him work, and he wasn't skipping any detail.

Hinata thought for a moment about what Tsunade said. She watched him work, as his eyebrows furrowed while reading, they raised as he put the application into either pile, and how they leveled out when he grabbed a new one, just to start the process over again. She thought for a moment how fit he would be as King, and to be married to him.

She started blushing, turning her head away from him. Naruto noticed.

"… You okay?" he asked her, pausing from the paper in his hand. Hinata waved her own hand at him.

"Yes, I'm fine, I just have my own work to do!" she said, trying to cover up her embarrassment.

Naruto stared at her for a moment before continuing what he was doing.

Hinata stared down at the bill in front of her. It was about raising the tax on alcohol, but she wasn't reading it, her mind still on the subject of him being king.

' _Married… to him…'_ she thought to herself.

She was never allowed relationships beforehand, her father always telling her that she would have marry someone in a high status as well, to keep the royal family 'pure" is what he always said. Getting the opportunity to fall in love with someone, especially someone like him, was incredible. How she dreamed about his touch, wished to wake up to his smile, and just be with him, that's all she wanted. Just his presence made her feel better, made her feel like she could be herself. Once her mother died, her father was devastated. They were fortunate enough to fall in love after they were announced to be married. It wasn't until her death that he started changing towards her. She thought it was because she reminded him of her mother.

She never really thought about being married, but now, when she had someone that loved her for more than just being royalty, maybe it was time that she did.

She shook her head, not wanting to think about it anymore. Besides, they had only known each other for less than a year, and she had her own work to get done.

…...

Tsunade stared at the pile Naruto had delivered to her desk. It had only been two hours since she had dropped them off with Hinata, he couldn't have sorted through every one of them already. He had his hand placed on top of the stack, with a smile on his face.

"There's 157 of 'em." He told her. Tsunade blinked a few times.

"There was 973 applicants, and you narrowed it down already? To 157?!" She replied, still shocked he got them done so fast.

"Yep! They're organized from top applicants, to the weakest at the bottom." He said, felling proud of himself.

"And you checked their medical history?" She asked him.

"Yep."

"Background?"

"Yep"

"Test scores?"

"Of course."

Tsunade picked one randomly out of the stack, double-checking his work. She stared at it, reading over every detail. Nothing was missed.

She sighed, having a smile on her face.

"Well, good job kid, I was expecting to have them by the end of the week, but now it's just more work that I have to do now!" she laughed to herself. Naruto scratched the side of his cheek sheepishly, feeling bad for Tsunade.

"Well, Hinata has a few other things she wants my help with, so I have get going." Naruto told her, turning to head out her office.

"Naruto, wait." Tsunade said. Naruto stopped and turned around.

"Hm? You need something else?" He asked, turning to face her again.

"Just… sit down for a moment, I want to talk to you." She told him, gesturing to the chair in front of her desk. Naruto walked hesitantly over to the chair, everything he's done in the past week rushing through his head. He sat down with his back straight and his hands balled into fists on his knees. Completely tense. Tsunade never asks anyone to sit down if they weren't in trouble.

Tsunade sighed, folding her hands together in front of her face.

"Naruto, have you ever thought about your future?" she asked him.

Naruto jerked his head back at the question, not sure what she meant. This didn't seem to qualify as a 'sit down' kind of topic.

"I mean, I like what I'm doing now, but I don't really understand your question." He stated truthfully. Tsunade closed her eyes and breathed in.

"What I mean is, have you put any thought towards what it would mean for you to stay with Queen Hinata? Any idea what you would have to do?" she replied.

She hated doing this, she didn't want to be the one that was the reason he had to break his ties off with Hinata, but this was a country they were talking about, not something you typically marry into.

Naruto stayed silent, his eyes off to the side. Tsunade gave him a moment to respond, not wanting to rush him.

"You think I haven't?" He murmured.

He slumped back into the chair, running a hand though his short blonde hair. He sighed, a look of worry on his face.

"I think about that constantly." He finally admitted.

"And you think that you'd be able to do that?" she asked him seriously.

"I… absolutely not." He simply put it.

Tsunade kept her eyes on him.

"Then why are you still here? Still with her? It's only going to be harder to break it off." She explained.

Naruto closed his eyes for a moment, like he was thinking.

Of course he knew that. Ever since they were stranded together he knew that. He had no idea what it meant to run a country, and Hinata? She was doing it by herself. It was incredible to watch her, making decisions with such confidence, something he was sure that he could never have. He could remember when he would tell her that she would be great as a queen and she had nothing to worry about and how that he would be there to support her, and to see her now was a day and night difference.

Tsunade was getting impatient with him. She was about to ask him again, but his facial expression changed.

He smiled.

… " _I wouldn't ask you if I didn't think so." …_

"I'm still here because she believes in me. And if she believes I could do it, then I'm sure I can." He told her firmly.

That's the answer Tsunade was looking for. She relaxed her face, leaning back in her own chair.

"Go ahead, she's waiting for you, isn't she?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well well! You've reached the end! Like I said this arc is going to be very much centered towards Naruto and Hinata and their growing relationship and all these things mmhm mmhm.
> 
> Also I think there were only about 2 people that did not want a smut chapter, so what I'm going to do is publish two that day, the smut and then the follow up, which IMO is going to be one of the best chapters this arc, I'm v excited to do it) so that's the master plan.
> 
> And of course, keep reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing!


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, more character appearances in this chapter. It was really fun to write the conversations between the characters because it really helps Naruto's goofy/fun side show more. I'm a fan, you should be a fan. Also this chapter was turning into about 8000 words and I still wasn't done with it, so I'm splitting it up…
> 
> …..

She grabbed his hand as she stepped into the carriage, thanking him with a nod. She ducked into the small coach, taking a seat where she always did, face towards the front, leftmost side. It was always the most comfortable. She would lean her left side against the wall, and rest her legs across the bench when she wanted to sleep. At least, she did when no one rode with her.

Naruto joined her after helping load the last of what they were strapping down, as they were heading off for a two day trip.

She had tried to convince him that he didn't need to come, she wasn't leaving the country or anything, and she was just heading to a settlement to declare them an official town, since they had grown so much. But her efforts were no good.

" _No way, I have to protect you, I promised your father!"_ He had told her.

She sighed, realizing there was nothing she could do to change his mind.

He ducked his head into the coach, taking the seat beside her. He signed as he sat down.

"Why do so many things have to go with us?" he said, massaging his upper arm from lifting things.

"Well, with a new town, we gift them with a few things, like we craft a sign with their town name, we bring them horses and tools, give them funds to start paving roads, all that." She explained, watching him rub his arms.

He really did have nice arms. Not too muscular, but you definitely knew they were there.

"Yeah, and then you have to have twelve different dresses." He joked, smirking at her.

"I did not! I only brought 4, plus the one I'm wearing!" she told him.

It was very important that she bring plenty of clothing. If something spills on one dress, she has a backup. The Queen must look like how her country must look. A dirty queen is a dirty country.

After he was done laughing at her reply, Naruto continued.

"We ready?" he asked her.

"We should be." She replied, folding her legs. She placed her hands on her knee, intertwining her fingers.

"Perfect." He said. He poked his head out the small window, yelling to the driver that everything was good.

They started moving, feeling every bump as they went. Hinata rather liked the feeling, it was a sort of massage, the way she thought about it. Naruto, on the other hand, didn't get sick from it, but he didn't like the constant up and down motion. He would rather be on a horse if he was just escorting anyone else.

Hinata leaned her head back, expecting to sleep on the ride there, since it was rather early. The sun had just started rising over the horizon, and the clouds were still a dark purple and pink color. She closed her eyes, planning to fall asleep rather quickly.

"Eh, Hinata?" Naruto said. Hinata opened one eye at him.

"Hm?"

"You can lean against me if you want, I'm sure that'd be better than this hard wood backing." He pointed out, knocking on it. He seemed to be avoiding eye contact with her.

' _Yes, YES!"_ she thought, but she didn't say.

"I would appreciate that, thank you." She told him.

She wrapped her arm though his own, resting her head on his bicep. He was right, it did feel a lot nicer. She felt completely comfortable there, snuggling into his arm. He was always so warm.

He reached his other arm around her, wiping her hair out of her face, something she appreciated. It was starting to tickle.

"You're really cute like this." He told her with a smile.

Her laugh was small at his comment, but still there.

"You're really comfy like this." She responded.

They stayed like that for as long as Naruto could remember, but he eventually fell asleep too.

The driver yelled at them that they would be arriving in a few minutes, and that's what had woken them up.

At least it woke Hinata up.

She didn't remember falling asleep like how she had ended up, but it was like heaven that she had. He was laying across the bench, with ha back propped up against the side wall. Hinata was laying against his chest, her body, for the most part, on top of him. She could hear his heartbeat, move with the rise and fall of his chest, and his hands were wrapped around her waist, keeping her still and safe.

If it was anyone else she would have scurried off of them, but she decided to let it last a few moments longer.

The driver told them again that they were crossing over into the town.

She could feel Naruto stir at the yell, realizing he was awake. She tried to move off of him so he could sit up right, but his hands tightened around her waist, keeping her there. She looked up at him, her face red.

"You're so… comfy…" he told her sleepily. "Don't go…"

Hinata laughed at his comment, wiggling out of his grasp.

"Come on, we have to look like we weren't just asleep for hours." She told him. She started straightening out her hair, making sure that it looked presentable. She straightened her dress too, it was a bit off-centered.

Naruto stretched his legs out, reaching them to the other side of the carriage. He untucked his shirt, using the bottom of it to wipe his face. He tucked it back in like nothing even happened.

"… is that why the bottom of all your shirts are so dirty?" she asked him, watching as he tucked it in behind him.

Naruto thought for a moment.

"Probably."

Hinata held down a laugh at his blunt response.

"What? It's not like anyone sees it anyway." He said honestly.

Hinata rolled her eyes with a smile. She couldn't deny that what he was saying is true.

The carriage suddenly started bouncing around everywhere, making the both of them start jerking around inside the coach. Hinata grabbed the side shelf, trying to steady herself. She turned her head towards Naruto, watching as he tried to do the same.

"What's happening?!" He asked, his voice changing pitches as the carriage bounced.

"I'm guessing their roads aren't well paved!" Hinata answered, feeling every clunk from the wheels going in between the bricks.

Naruto never figured that would be the case, but it made sense. Not every city was as old and well cared for as the capital. Hopefully with some of the funds they receive from this trip will go towards making new roads, because this was about to make him sick.

The carriage stopped, and Hinata could hear people talking outside. She tried to listen to their conversations, but she couldn't hear much.

Hinata could hear them approaching closer. She quickly straightened herself up one last time. Naruto got the hint that he should too. He ran his hands through his hair a few times, hoping it sat-somewhat- neat.

The carriage door opened and the driver bowed his head, gesturing for them to get out. Hinata went first, holding the drivers hand as she stepped out. Naruto could hear the noise from outside become significantly quieter, and he assumed they were bowing. He left the carriage as well, not needing the assistance from the driver.

Hinata bowed back to the people crowded around her, and they all ran up to her. Naruto didn't think this was the entire town by far, but still it was a good thirty or so people that were crowded around, asking questions.

Naruto watched as Hinata stood there, with a forced smile on her face. He knew that she hated being crowded around people. She liked having some space. He saw her answering a few questions about different things they were asking, all of which he thought we're irrelevant as to why they were here.

"Are you in good health?"

"How was your trip?"

"Please you must stop by our pastry shop, we made something specifically for you!"

Naruto knew the answer to that last question before it left Hinata's mouth. She loved sweets, so he was expecting that she would have him run by and pick up whatever it was, that is, if she didn't do it herself.

A man broke through the crowd on a horse. There was another one behind him with no one riding it. Naruto assumed this was the man in charge here.

"Alright, make way, you don't want to smother her…" he said.

Naruto recognized that voice. Naruto stared at the man on the horse. He wasn't much older than Naruto, if even older at all. He stared and stared, trying to figure out who this guy was.

Then it clicked.

He was a member of the military along with him, from his graduating class. The spiked ponytail was what really gave it away.

"Your Majesty." He said, bowing his head down. Hinata did the same.

"You must forgive me, can you remind me of your name?" she asked him. Naruto knew this voice of Hinata's. It was calmer, soothing, and more… regal, he thought. She used it for official visits a lot.

"Nara, Shikamaru." He told her, offering her the reigns of the empty horse. Hinata took them with a thankful bow.

"That's right, the Nara family are the ones who started this settlement, is that correct?" She asked, petting the horse's mane.

"Yeah, it's a pain to run, but we do it. The deer in the area are too good to pass up." He explained.

Hinata looked back towards Naruto, gesturing for him to join them. Naruto walked over hesitantly, remembering memories of this Shikamaru guy. All he could think of was how he wanted to do nothing. Didn't want to practice, fight, read, study- just no motivation. Yet he still graduated.

"Shikamaru, this is-"

"H-hey, I know you!" Shikamaru yelled out, pointing at Naruto. He turned his head back towards Hinata. "Has he been giving you trouble?" he asked.

Hinata started laughing, and Naruto butt in.

"Hey, I don't know who you think you are, but don't go assuming I just start trouble wherever I go!" Naruto told him, holding up a fist.

"Oh really, I think you're causing some right now." Shikamaru told him, staring at him with a mirthless smile.

Hinata interrupted their bickering.

"No, no he's fine. He's my personal escort." She explained, putting a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"Yeah, _personal_ escort. Hand-picked." Naruto gloated. Shikamaru stared in disbelief.

"Well… you must have grown up a lot since graduation then to be the Queen's personal escort." Shikamaru noted.

"Of course I have!" Naruto said proudly. Shikamaru smirked, turning his horse.

"Well, sorry I don't have a horse for you, so you'll have to walk." Shikamaru told him. Naruto helped Hinata onto hers while glaring at Shikamaru.

"Walking is just fine." Naruto told him, narrowing his eyes.

….

Walking was not fine.

Naruto felt like he was about to pass out from how much his feet hurt. The bricks that were spaced four inches apart, with dirt in between them, we're making him stumble around with every step, slipping in between them, almost falling a few times. He didn't care about his dignity anymore, if he could have gone back and just grabbed one of the horses they had brought, he would. He'd admit it, at this point he didn't care.

They town was made up of two main roads, and three areas. The two roads crossed together in the middle of town. In the middle there were benches and flowers, with a sign saying where you were, as well as a town map next to it, even though Naruto didn't think anyone could get lost in this town.

Each street stretched for about two miles, and there were places along the streets that didn't have anything built there, like empty lots. Naruto guessed it was so they could expand when they needed to. Naruto decided that he thought the settlement could be a town once he saw how nice their Inn looked. He assumed that was where they'd be staying for the next few days.

He kept his eyes moving while they walked-well, he walked and they rode- through the town, keeping a careful eye especially on the crowd of people that seemed to follow them.

They had just finished with the first area of the settlement, the recreational area as they called it. Naruto didn't know why they didn't just say it was the market, since it was where all the shops were. He saw the fresh produce stands along the streets, restaurants, a few taverns, clothing stores, a bakery, and that pastry shop that he knew they'd be going to. They had just reached the business area of the settlement when they passed the Inn.

This had all the major businesses. A small bank, a lawyer's office, a building for the postal system, they even had a small events center. Naruto clanked inside as Shikamaru was explaining what they used it for, and it just looked like a bare empty building. Apparently they held dances here once a month. He didn't know why people thought that'd be fun, but he figured if they liked it, good for them.

They reached the end of the street and Naruto breathed a sigh of relief as Shikamaru got off of his horse. That meant the end of his walk through this horribly paved town was over.

"And this, is the settlement advisor's building, or I guess now it's the Mayor's office…" Shikamaru said with a sigh.

"Perfect, and your father is in here I assume?" Hinata asked.

"Yeah, he should be." Shikamaru replied, getting down from his horse. "Let me make sure he isn't sleeping or something. I'll be back for you in a moment."

He walked up the few steps to get into the wooden building, leaving Naruto and Hinata there to wait. Once inside, Naruto sighed himself, bending over and resting his hands on his knees.

"Oh my god… how to people live here?" he said, exasperated. Hinata giggled, putting a hand on his back.

"It wasn't that bad, was it?" she asked.

"You try walking on this road, see what you think." He told her, straightening out again. He swung his arms to the side, popping his back.

"Hey, at least after this, we get to eat and then visit with the people and then tonight there's a party that they're holding that we get to attend, it'll be fun."

Naruto took a deep breath, thinking about the party.

"It won't be as formal as the ball, right? I didn't really bring anything nicer than what I am in now." He said, gesturing to his clothing. The white long sleeved shirt that was rolled up to his elbows, buttoned down the front tucked into some tan pants, and those tucked into brown boots.

Hinata thought he looked fine.

"I don't expect it to be, and if it is, I'm with you. IK don't have anything nicer than this." She said, gesturing in a similar fashion. Her dress, cut across from shoulder to shoulder, reveling her collar bone. It was fit around the top, and when it hit her waist it flowed down to the ground. The bottom was trimmed in gold, and the rest was lavender.

Naruto gave her a playful glare.

"Yeah, but you look nice no matter what you're wearing." He told her. She blushed slightly, shaking her head at him.

Shikamaru came back through the doorway, gesturing for them to enter. He led them through the building. Naruto noticed how bare it felt. There was nothing hanging on the walls, or any sort of decorations. He thought for a moment if this is what his old apartment felt like. Maybe he had just grown used to the décor everywhere inside the castle that the few plants that were scattered in the corners of the rooms seemed to not even be there.

Shikamaru stopped outside the door, turning to the both of them. Naruto saw on the door that it said 'Nara'

"He has all the paperwork ready, he just needs to discuss a few things with you." He told Hinata, opening the door. He looked at Naruto.

"Sorry, but he just wants the Queen. Don't take it personally, he doesn't want me in their either." Shikamaru told him, waiting for Hinata to pass by.

Naruto furrowed his eyebrows at the request. He looked into the room and saw an older man with scars up and down his face. Naruto did not like the way he looked at all.

Hinata turned back towards him.

"Don't worry, it'll only be a few minutes." She told him confidently. Naruto sighed.

"Fine." He told her, taking a step back from the door. Shikamaru closed it.

Naruto walked over to the bench on the other side of the hall, taking a seat. He leaned his head back against the wall, keeping his ears alert for anything he could hear from that room.

Shikamaru took a seat beside him.

"So… tell me how you're her personal escort? How did that happen?" Shikamaru asked, folding his arms in front of his chest.

"That's a bit of a long story." He told him, not moving.

"Well, I know she said a few minutes, but with how long my father talks, they're going to be a while." He explained. Shikamaru saw Naruto's shoulders drop.

Naruto turned his head towards Shikamaru, looking him over. Shikamaru gave him a confused look as he did it.

"Why do you want to know?" he asked.

"Because I want to know how someone like you was assigned to be her personal escort. You we're always goofing off every time I saw you. I'll admit you we're a great fighter, but I don't think you could have beat out every single person in the military. There has to be a reason." He reasoned.

Naruto knew that there was a reason that this guy graduated too, and he was sure that he would figure that out.

"Her father asked me to." He said truthfully.

"… That wasn't what I'd consider long." Shikamaru told him. "Besides that's not what I want to know, I want to know why he asked you."

"He just figured that I was the best to protect, and she agreed." He said. Naruto didn't want to go into full detail with him. It wasn't something he'd want to go into full detail with anyone about.

Shikamaru groaned.

"I get it, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Shikamaru huffed.

….

Naruto was really trying not to fall asleep, but the fact that Shikamaru already had was not helping. They had been sitting on this bench for an hour and a half. The small talk was far and few between with them, and the fact that there were no decorations to look at made Naruto grateful for the ones back in the castle.

Naruto heard something from the room, like chairs were being moved.

He nudged Shikamaru, telling him to wake up.

"They're wrapping up, they just stood up." He told Shikamaru. Shikamaru rubbed his eyes, waking up.

"How do you know that?" he said with a yawn.

"Because I heard it." Naruto told him as he stood up from the bench.

Shikamaru stared at him as he got up, wondering how he heard it, but Shikamaru didn't.

The door clicked open, and Hinata walked out with a smile on her face, followed by Shikamaru's dad. Naruto walked over to greet her.

"Everything go well?" he asked. Shikamaru walked over to his father and asked the same thing.

"Oh of course, it just took a bit longer to finalize everything that I had hoped." She admitted.

"That's good, I was about to pass out waiting for you here." He told her.

"Well, that's not good." She said with a laugh.

Shikamaru's father turned towards them, clapping his hands together.

"Well, I'm sure you are anxious to see where you'll be staying tonight. You still have plenty of time to relax and wonder around before the party tonight." He explained.

"Thank you, Shikaku, that sounds lovely." She admitted.

Naruto walked behind Hinata and the other two, following them back outside.

"Shikamaru, would you show them to where they'll be staying?" Shikaku asked his son. You could hear a slight groan from him.

"Yeah, follow me." He said, going down the stairs. He jumped back onto his horse, waiting for Hinata to get on hers.

Naruto wanted to cry at the thought of walking down these streets more, but he dealt with it, knowing that he'd be able to rest shortly.

….

"Why is there only one bed?" Naruto asked as they entered the room.

Naruto had learned while checking into the Inn that the town had that every Inn has an extremely fancy room, regardless of what the normal ones looked like. They we're for the highest of guests, and Hinata, being the highest guest they could have, had the room reserved for her. It was on the highest level, and about as big as Naruto's room back in the castle. Everything was decorated similarly, random vases and dressers. Even a claw-foot bathtub. The bed was not as big as Hinata's was, but was about the same size as his own.

But his question was still valid, why was there only one?

"I mean… I'm sure we can get you one." She told him, staring at the bed.

Naruto went back to thinking about their ride here, and how warm she was sleeping on top of him. Then he thought about how it felt to just sleep by himself. The option with Hinata definitely sounded better.

"…Let's worry about it later." He told her, putting down the trunk he carried with him.

Internally, Hinata was relieved that he didn't ask for a separate bed. She was rather excited at the idea of sleeping next to him. She wondered around the carpeted room, looking at the floral design along the walls. She had always loved flowers. She made her way to the lone windows of the room that overlooked the street below. It looked so peaceful as she saw children run through the streets. They were playing with each other, falling in the dirt. Down the road she could see another child drawing in the dirt with a stick. The sight made her smile.

"What are you looking at?" Naruto asked suddenly, causing her to jump. Naruto held in a laugh at her small yelp. She put a hand to her chest.

"Don't do that." She said with a laugh. He smiled at her before staring out the window, trying to see what she was looking at.

He stared at the kids in the street, but didn't think much of it. He went up and down the road, looking for something interesting, but nothing struck out.

"So what we're you looking at?" He asked, still staring at the window.

"Oh… just the kids." She admitted as she continued to watch them play.

"Oh, that's all?" he asked her, walking away from the window. He went over to the trunk he brought up and unlatched it, taking out a clean shirt.

"That's all?" Hinata asked him, almost sounding shocked. She turned to look over at him.

"Well yeah, they're just kids playing around." He explained, not getting why it was a big deal to her.

Hinata turned her head back out the window to watch them. Naruto walked back over to her.

"Did you ever play like that? Just I the streets with other kids?" she asked him.

"Well yeah, while their parents weren't around of course." He told her, moving his eyes between her and the kids.

"I never got to, maybe that's why I'm so interested in them." She admitted. She sighed, walking towards the bathroom to wash her face.

"What? You mean you never did the whole 'sneak away as a common folk and live for a day' thing?" he asked her.

Hinata chortled.

"No! That's something that only happens in fairytales and books. In real like you have people surrounding you all the time. There's no way that can happen." She explained.

She splashed some water on her face. Naruto walked up behind her. She looked at him in the mirror after drying off.

"So what's stopping you now? I mean we still have at least four hours before we have to come back and get ready for this party, right?" he asked her. She shook her head.

"I just don't know how it'd be possible. Besides, what if I got caught, what if someone recognized me, I mean it's just not plausible." She huffed.

To be honest, she had always thought about it. She was sure that anyone in royalty had. To just not have to worry about who they were for just a day, and be given the freedom to do what they wanted. She especially felt that way back when her father was the meanest he had been. But it was just never possible.

"No, no here. Just pull all your hair up, and we can put a little dirt on your face, no one will even know the difference."

Hinata looked at herself with all her hair pulled back like Naruto was holding it. It was lumpy looking, and definitely messy. Absolutely nothing like how she was used to it looking. She always had a specific way it went, regardless of the style. Naruto, however, didn't know what that was.

It crossed her mind that it could work. Maybe for just a few hours.

She shook her head.

"I just, what would I wear? All I have are dresses, I don't even have plain looking dresses. They're all so… formal."

Naruto thought for a minute, looking around the room. He dropped her hair, walking into the room. He dug through the trunk that he brought, but didn't find anything he liked. He went back to the window they had been staring out of, and looked down the street.

"There's a clothing shop, I can run and get you something!" He told her, excited at the idea of all this.

Hinata could feel her face grow hot, wanting so bad to do this, but at the same time she kept thinking it was just not possible.

Naruto walked over to her.

"Hinata, when will you have another chance? It's not like this is a huge city with hundreds of people. You don't have reports to do or bills to read through right now. It's the perfect opportunity." He said, grabbing her shoulders. "But it's your choice."

Hinata looked at him, over to the window, back around the room, and then back to him.

"… Okay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, the next chapter takes place… right after this.
> 
> Heck, I might have to break that one up too... Who knows? I just really like writing Hinata experiencing all these different things she never got to, it's fun. So stick around, like, comment, subscribe, read review, retweet, reblog, whatever you feel like doing!


	23. Chapter 23

"I think you look nothing like yourself." He told her, staring at her outfit.

He had bought her a dark red dress. The fabric was light and movable, and it went just past her knees. The sleeves went slightly past her elbows, and it scooped across her collarbone. It dipped down her chest slightly, with a leather string to tie it shut. She had on a pair of boots that he had bought her as well. They we're a bit too big, but she didn't mind. They were black, and rose to right on her calf. She had never worn boots like this before. Her hair was a mess, thanks to Naruto. He had pulled it back like he did before, all of it except her bangs were pulled back, and the tie was set crooked on her head, making it sit mostly on the left.

She had to laugh at how sill she thought she looked. She looked out the window and saw girls wearing similar things as well.

"I think you're right! Now all I need is my dirt." She joked.

"Ah! We can do that when we get outside." He told her. She shook her head at him.

"I'm serious, you have to look believable! You can't look like you just bought those." He said honestly.

"But… I don't want to ruin them." She told him sincerely.

"Hinata, when are you going to wear them again?" he asked her, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"… probably never." She admitted with a sigh.

Naruto opened the door to their room, gesturing for her to go first.

"After you, not Queen Hinata." He joked.

The snuck down the stairs, making sure no one saw them. If they we're seen leaving from the third floor, people would surely know it was them. They ducked behind corners as other guests went to their rooms, and quietly left from the back door of the inn. The task itself wasn't physically draining, but they still felt out of breath. They stopped behind the Inn for a moment while they caught their breath.

"Isn't it exciting? Breaking the rules?" Naruto asked her.

"I get… I get the feeling you used to break rules all the time." She replied.

Naruto laughed at her answer. "Well of course." He stated proudly. Hinata just shook her head.

"Oh… " He said, bending down on the ground. He picked some dirt up and put it on her boots and a few places along the bottom of her dress. "There we go."

She patted some of it off to make it look more natural.

"So, what do you want to do first?" He asked.

Hinata stopped to think for a moment. She really hadn't planned this far. There we're so many different things they could do. But the first thing on her mind was pretty simple. She wanted food.

"Let's get lunch." She decided on.

Yeah, we can do that." He told her. He grabbed her hand before he started walking, almost pulling her with him. In her mind she thought he was more excited about this than she was.

They had been walking for a few minutes, and Hinata saw all the signs they kept passing. Naruto told her to stop if she found something that stuck out to her, but they all looked so interesting. The bakery she wanted to go to, but that didn't seem much like a meal, same with the pastry shop – which she knew she was stopping at no matter what eventually- but when she read the sign for this place she knew immediately she had to go. She had never been inside one, but she knew they we're always loud and people usually walked out happy and smiling, so she wanted to go to.

It was a tavern.

"Here." She told Naruto. Naruto turned around to look at the place. He read the sign and then his face got worried.

"Eh… a tavern?" he asked her, making sure this is where she wanted to go.

"Have you ever been to one?" she asked him, wondering why he was so hesitant.

"I've been to a whole lot of them. But... They're loud and every one of them has a different atmosphere and everyone is drinking and I mean… I don't want to overwhelm you." He explained.

"No, no, I've always wanted to go to one." She told him honestly. Her pleading eyes made it hard for him to say no.

He sighed, and she smiled. She grabbed him by the arm as they went in.

The sound immediately hit her like a wall. The noise was so dense she felt like she was moving through molasses. There was music playing, people laughing in every direction, cups clinking together, people slamming hands on tables, more laughing, more cups clinking and clunking, and of course, people we're talking to each other nonstop. She stood there taking it all in.

There were tables scattered throughout the place, and a bar running along the edge of the room. There we're stairs leading up to a second floor, but she couldn't see much of what was up there. Everyone looked either dirty or tired. The room was lit by a few lamps that lined the walls, and the windows in the front.

"You sure about this?" Naruto asked her, grabbing the hand that she slipped through his arm.

She hesitated. "… Yes."

Just then, they were bumped forward by two other people entering the tavern, knocking into each other as they found a table. Naruto took the blunt of it, realizing it was going to happen about half a second before it did. He put his body behind hers, like a shield. He still pushed her forward, but it wasn't as bad as it could've been.

Hinata turned around to look back at him.

"Are you okay?" She asked him, her face worried.

"Yeah… it happens." He told her honestly. "Here, let's sit down." He said while gesturing to two seats at a bar.

Hinata didn't know why she felt so excited about this, it looked dirty, the people all smelled of alcohol, and my goodness was it crowded. Maybe the fact that it was new to her was what made her want to be here. It was a place so unlike any she grew up with. It just made her feel different.

She looked at the chair for a moment and watched Naruto getting onto his own. She placed her foot on the small pedal like object on the side and propelled herself onto the seat, landing with a plop. Definitely not graceful. The thought almost made her laugh.

She look at Naruto, who she could tell was thinking about laughing too. His bloated cheeks gave him away.

"It's not funny, we don't have chairs this tall." She told him. She couldn't help the smile that formed on her face as she said it, and Naruto let out just the smallest hint of a laugh.

"No, no you're right, not funny." He replied with a small wave from his hand.

Suddenly, someone from the other side of the counter propped their arm down, leaning over towards them. He was definitely a bigger man, with red cheeks. He stared at the two of them with a smile.

Hinata stared back, not sur what was happening. Did he recognize her? Was this adventure over before it really started? She shot a glance to Naruto, who seemed completely relaxed at this.

"So…" he spoke. Hinata gulped.

"What can I get you two?" he finished.

Hinata's shoulders dropped slightly, relieved at the question. Naruto looked over to her.

"What do you want?" he asked.

Hinata stared forward, not even realizing she would have options of what she wanted to have. She was baffled and had no idea.

Naruto wanted to laugh again, but just turned back to the man.

"We'll start with two of your house brews."

"House brew, the best choice!" the man said, walking down the bar.

Naruto turned back to Hinata, whose face was red.

"I have no idea what I'm doing." She told him with a sigh. She wanted to bury her head in her hands, but she felt she was too old for that.

"I can see that." He said with a coy smile. He was loving how embarrassed she looked. "That's why I'll just do the talking." He assured her.

She smiled with a sigh. "Thank you… By the way, what's a house brew?"

"It's like… The beer they make. Most taverns have a signature home-made beer." He explained.

"And this one's is the best!" the man that took their order came back, holding two mugs in his hand. He had the same smile on his face as he sat the mugs down in front of them. Hinata stared down into the cup, looking at the yellow-brown liquid inside it. It didn't look the most appetizing in her opinion.

She turned back to Naruto, who was already taking a drink of his.

"I've never had beer before…" she told him. She saw Naruto almost choke. He pulled the cup away from his face, hitting his chest while coughing.

"Well, you picked a good one to start with, lady. The Akamichi Tavern is the best one there is. Beer is great, food is great, and everything is great. Just try it."

Naruto turned to her.

"How have you never had any before? It's like… well, I guess it isn't very fancy." He told her, looking at his own mug.

Hinata saw the man across the bar staring at her, waiting for her to drink it. Soon Naruto joined the stare too, waiting to see her do it.

She breathed in, taking a whiff of the drink. It smelled… bitter.

She slightly shook her head as she took a drink. The liquid hit her tongue and it was as she expected, very bitter. However, the hint of apple made it better. She never cared for the taste of alcohol, but she thought she could get used to this one.

She took the mug down from her face and looked at the two of them. She knew they were anticipating a reaction.

"… It's good." She said, a bit ashamed that she liked it.

"And there you have it!" the man said from behind the counter. "I'll tell you again, everything we have is great. Just let me know if you need anything else." He said, turning his attention to a few others sitting further down the bar.

Naruto watched him walk away, settling down the crew at the other end of the bar before he turned back to Hinata.

"Do you really…" he started. He saw her drinking more from the mug.

"Like… it?" he asked while a smile.

Hinata raised her eyebrows at him as she finished her sip.

"Hm?"

"Nothing, nothing." He told her, taking a drink of his own.

"So… food?" she asked him, setting her half drank mug down.

"Food." He agreed.

They hadn't eaten but what was served to them before dawn, and it was lunchtime now. Both would agree they were starving.

"Do you know what taverns usually serve?" he asked her, to which she shook her head no.

"Like… They make one thing a day, and that's all they offer. Sometimes it's a soup, others its roast or chicken, really whatever they have available. But one thing a day, that's it." He explained.

"How strange, why is that?" she asked, taking another drink.

"It's easier to make one thing and not have to worry about what everyone has ordered. Plus you just keep making that same thing all day, no need to buy other stuff… at least that's what I was told." He explained.

"And who told you that?"

Naruto did a small chuckle before answering. "Jiraiya did."

Hinata remembered the name, but couldn't place where she had heard it. Naruto saw the look of confusion on her face.

"The old hermit that let me travel with him." He explained further.

"Oooh." She told him, moving her head in motion with her words.

"Yeah… we travelled everywhere together. It felt like he was the only adult to really… care? He said that I reminded him of someone from long ago or something, so he let me tag along with him." Naruto told her.

He leaned in closer.

"But to be honest, I think he thought he looked better to girls if he was caring for some kid, but who knows."

Hinata laughed at his comment. She didn't know why she found it so funny, but she was laughing an awful lot at it.

"What made you think that?" she asked him, continuing the conversation.

"I mean… he was crazy about girls! He would try to peep at them, spend all his money and buy them drinks, all for the sake of 'research'." Naruto quoted the last word.

He paused for a moment, looking down at the bar. Hinata saw his expression change.

"But… he taught me a lot. He taught me how to fight and cook and defend myself. He showed me so much of the country… it really was a great time." Naruto said, a somber smile on his face.

"Did… did something happen to him?" She asked.

Naruto shook his head, still not looking over at her.

"He died, about two years ago." He explained.

Hinata could feel her chest hurt, seeing the pain on his face. How she wanted to know more was buried down by this pain. She reached a hand out, placing it on his shoulder.

He felt her hand on him, and a smile slowly spread on his face.

He turned his head up towards her, full smile.

"You want food though, right?" he asked. She could tell he didn't want to talk about it more. She smiled back at him. She nodded with determination.

…

It was beef stew, and Hinata thought it was the most delicious thing she had tasted in her life. The beef chunks were warm, and potatoes and carrots were swimming in the thick broth, absorbing its flavor. Every spoonful was incredible, and she wanted to savor it, but she wanted more at the same time. She had eaten half her bowl before she turned to Naruto.

"Do you eat things like this every day?!" She asked, completely jealous if he did.

"What? You're telling me you actually like this?" He asked her, confused by her question.

She nodded her head as she took another bite.

"But you eat things so much better than this all the time, heck, I eat most of them with you now! Surely this isn't the best thing you've ever had." He replied.

Hinata shook her head as she swallowed.

"What I always eat is… fancy. Nothing is ever filling or… this good. It's always something exotic or… interesting."

Naruto thought for a moment before he realized that she was right. They never seemed like home-cooked meals, just something to impress. He never realized it, since it was still better than he ate on his own.

He watched Hinata finish hers before he had eaten half of his.

She turned to him, a spark in her eye.

"What can we do next?" She asked.

Naruto laughed, wanting to respond. But someone had bumped into the back of him, jerking him forward.

Naruto turned around, but the man's back was against him. Naruto ignored it, going back to his own food. But then it happened again. Naruto breathed in, letting it slide.

"Are you okay?" Hinata asked him, watching it happen.

"Yeah, I'm fine, people run into each other all the time." He explained. He went to eat another bite when he was run into for a third time, causing his spoon to fall out of his hand and onto the table.

Naruto had the most annoyed look Hinata had ever seen on his face as the man turned around.

"Oh, sorry there!" He said with a laugh, patting Naruto's back. Hinata would really call it a pat though, it was more of a slap by the way it sounded. But Naruto didn't flinch, his body didn't even move. The man was about twice as wide as Naruto was, and a bit taller. Much taller than Hinata.

His eyes looked over at Hinata. Hinata felt herself jump at his gaze.

"Sorry about your date, girlie. Guess he couldn't take a hit." He tried to joke, but Hinata just awkwardly smiled.

"I think he's fine." She told him.

"Mmmmhm… what's your name anyway, girlie?" He asked, getting closer to her. He put his hand on the bar, too close to Hinata's for her won comfort.

Hinata didn't think of a name. She couldn't say Hinata, and she didn't know of any other name to say.

"Aah…" She replied, buying time to think.

She saw Naruto turn towards the man, getting off his chair. He put his hand on the man's shoulder.

"You said sorry, that's all you needed to do." He told him, taking his attention off Hinata. He turned his head back towards Naruto, scoffing at him.

"Well, you sure are fiery, huh? Ya runt." The man said. "All I did was ask her name." he said with a smirk.

"She doesn't have to tell you anything." Naruto told him, his eyebrows furrowed.

The man rolled his head back and laughed. He turned back to Hinata.

"What do you see in this guy?" he asked, still laughing. He turned back to Naruto and froze dead still.

It felt like he was caught in a trap, looking at his eyes. They were fierce, like an animals. Nothing was different about them, but it was like fear stuck him through with that one glare. He could feel his hands start to sweat.

Naruto blinked, and the man let out his breath with a small jump.

"…Sorry." He told Naruto, walking off. Naruto's eyes followed him as he walked down the slim aisle between the tables and the bar. Naruto sat back down in his seat.

"Sorry…" Hinata told him, staring down at her lap.

"What? Sorry for what?" he asked her, snapping his head back towards her. "Those kind of guys are at any tavern you go to, don't worry about it." He told her, ducking his head down to meet her eyes.

"… He was so creepy." She told him.

"There are men like him in just about every tavern you go to." Naruto told her before finishing off the last of his drink. Naruto leaned back, shoving a hand down his pants pocket. He pulled out a few coins, leaving them on the table. She could see the man behind the bar notice him doing this as he started walking over to them.

"Come on, we still have the rest of the town to see." He said, spinning back in his chair. Hinata spun too, a bit too much, but she made it around just the same. She hopped off the chair.

"Thank ya much!" the man behind the counter said, waving his arm at the two of them. Naruto waved back.

The both walked down the few stairs of the tavern that lead to the road, walking down the same direction they were going before deciding to eat.

They went to the center of the town and looked at the map, deciding to make a plan of where to go. They had a few hours left before they had to go back to get ready, and they wanted to make the most of it.

First was the pastry shop. Hinata fought the urge to pick up whatever they had made for her, but she knew she couldn't. Instead Hinata had a cinnamon roll. It felt like it melted in her mouth it was so good. Naruto, on the other hand, didn't get anything. He told Hinata that sweets weren't something he really ate.

They continued on from there to a small shop that sold beading. There was necklaces, bracelets, even earrings, all woven with beading. Hinata thought they were rather charming, definitely not something she would ever be given to wear. The jewelry she had was all metal, and all of it was heavy.

"Would you want one?" Naruto asked her, noticing how intrigued the look on her face was as she stared at a turquoise bracelet. She turned her head up towards him. One pain of being royalty was that you never had money, at least, you didn't have money to spend, and other people did that for you.

Naruto took the bracelet and paid for it. They left the shop, and put it on Hinata's wrist. She thought it looked rather lovely. But something kept nagging at her.

"Naruto?" she said as they we're walking to their next destination, the bakery.

Naruto turned his head back towards her. "Hm?"

"You don't have to buy everything I look at, you know that." She told him.

Naruto gave a small laugh and turned his head back forward.

"See, because of you, I don't have to pay for where I live, or the food I eat. It's the least I can do… plus the taxes that the shop will pay goes back to you and back into what I make, so it all works out." He said with a shrug.

Hinata laughed at his honesty. She turned her attention back to the bracelet. She really did love it.

They walked into the bakery and were met with a line of people right up to the door to leave. Hinata almost ran into them if it wasn't for Naruto stopping her.

He bent down closer to her to talk, since it was almost as loud as the tavern was in the building a fifth of its size.

"Bakeries are always crowded when they just finish making bread. People want the freshest." He explained. Hinata nodded, agreeing that it made sense.

They stood in line, shuffling towards the counter ever so slightly. Hinata was trying to see what sort of things they had, but they were being blocked by the other people in line. Hinata huffed.

"Just give it a minute, we'll get closer and you can see." Naruto told her, noticing how impatient she was being-something that new for her.

"Hm? Oh if you just want to look, I'll step out of the way." The man in front of them said, stepping to the side.

"Ah, thank you!" Hinata told him with a bow. The man turned his head at the gesture.

"Ah, you're welcome…" he replied.

Hinata forgot people outside of royalty don't bow to each other to show thanks. She just did it out of habit.

The man leaned in closer to her, a hand on his chin.

"Say… you look awfully like the Queen, you know that?"

Hinata and Naruto both started sweating.

"Oh… yeah, I get that a lot…" Hinata tried to play off.

Naruto interrupted.

"Say, you look a lot like the man running the tavern." Naruto told him, trying to steer the conversation elsewhere. Hinata took the chance to walk off and look at all the baked goods.

The man turned towards Naruto with a smile on his face.

"Yep! That's my old man. You all went there?" he asked.

"Of course, the beer was great!" Naruto told him, making sure the conversation stayed focused on him.

"Well I coulda' told you that." He said. The man held out his hand. "Name is Choji."

"Choji…" Naruto met his hand. "Naruto."

"Naruto… Naruto… I've heard that name before…" he said, looking up to try and remember. He hit his fist to his open palm.

"That's right, Shikamaru graduated with a Naruto. Was that you?" He asked.

Naruto panicked. If he said yes then what if Shikamaru told him his job with the Queen, then he know for sure that Hinata was really her. If he said no, then that's just a web of lies he would be tangled in.

"Ah…I don't-" Naruto started.

"NEXT" The woman manning the store yelled. Choji turned around and saw that next was in fact him.

"Ah, yeah I'm here to pick up the order for my dad." Choji told her, putting some money on the counter. The woman sighed.

"Of course…" she huffed. She bent down and grabbed a package that was tied up from the ground, heaving it on top of the counter. It landed with a thud.

There ya go… and tell your old man to stop ordering so much, I'm going to run out of wheat." She told him, putting the money in her apron.

"I'll tell him, but I can't guarantee anything will change." Choji said with a smile. He took the package off the counter with ease, turning back towards Naruto.

"Well, I'll see you again." He said with a wave as he walked out the door.

"Yeah, you too…" Naruto replied, fulling intending on that not happening.

Hinata walked up to the counter now that Choji was gone. The ordered an apple croissant for them to share.

They left the shop, returning to the center of town to eat it, sitting on a bench. Hinata halved it, giving the slightly bigger piece to Naruto.

They took a bite at the same time, both sighing at the taste.

"So good…" Hinata sighed, taking another bite.

Naruto ate the rest of his in two bites, before Hinata had even finished her second. She looked at him with a smile.

"I thought you didn't like sweets?" she asked, slightly mocking him.

"You can't hand me something this good and expect me not to like it." He told her with honesty. She laughed.

"Oh, you have something…" she said, putting a hand to his face to wipe the crumb off the side of his cheek. Her thumb rubbed against his skin. A very slight hint of stubble was there, but only noticeable if you touched his face.

She kept her hand there, feeling how hot his face was. It wasn't anything new to her, his body was always incredibly warm. Maybe it was his eyes that were looking at her so intently, like he was taking in every detail of her.

The air was warm, with a breeze blowing through it gently. Her hair moved with the wind, and as his hand grabbed it. The small scratches from his face felt strange against her hand, but she enjoyed the feeling. The bench creaked slightly as they moved closer, but they didn't notice until they had pulled apart.

It was a kiss that lasted two seconds at best, but it felt like an eternity that ended too soon.

She breathed in deep. Typically it was him that kissed her, but she did it this time. She just felt it was the right thing to do in that moment.

Naruto thought so too. He kissed her on the cheek just a few seconds after, putting his arm around her.

"This is nice. I can kiss you and it doesn't matter who is watching." He said, taking a deep breath.

Hinata blushed at his comment, but she rested her head against him.

"Yeah… it is nice."

….

They snuck into the Inn the same way they left. The walked in the back door, Naruto first to make sure no one watching. They slipped up the stairs in the same fashion. Not many people we're out at four in the afternoon, let alone at an Inn.

The snuck back in the room and both let out a sigh of relief.

"We did it…" Naruto told her.

Hinata made her way the bed in the room, plopping down on it, staring at the ceiling.

"We really did it… I really did it! I mean... I ate what I wanted, I did what I wanted, and I… it felt so relieving!" she exclaimed.

Naruto joined her on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"I wonder…. Maybe if we met in a different life, we would be living like that every day."

Naruto thought the same thing to be honest. Hinata while not being royalty was just so… interesting to watch. She had no idea what anything was. Basic interactions were difficult for her, she didn't even know how to sit in a bar stool!

But there we're so many things she could do that Naruto never dreamed he could ever figure out. She knew the names of almost every dignitary in the world, she understood law, not only in her country, but in all the others as well. She was incredibly smart, smarter than he ever hoped to be.

And she was running the most prosperous country in the world.

He looked over at her and saw the dirt on her face, the knots in her hair, and the sweat that covered most of her body.

She had wanted to run. She was never allowed to run in the castle, or even run when she was playing. She told him, once they saw the Inn in the distance that she wanted to run to it. So he agreed.

She wasn't fast, and Naruto didn't blame her, she never was allowed to in order to be faster. But she was happy. She laughed as she ran, and Naruto kept with her pace. She had ran about two blocks total to get to the Inn, something for him was a breeze, but for her was an accomplishment.

He thought to himself that she truly was amazing.

…..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hum hum, ho hum. The end of the semester is upon us, and I have no idea what that means for our lovely, mostly every day, update schedule.
> 
> SO I promise if things get a little sparse the next coming weeks I'm not abandoning this story, I just procrastinated on school work too much.


	24. Chapter 24

The difference between Hinata few hours ago and Hinata now was night and day, not only with how she looked, but how she acted.

She had taken a bath, cleaned up, her hair was full and straight, curling ever so slightly at the ends like it normally was. She was dressed in her normal clothes, and by normal, they we're normal for her. It was a similar cut to her previous one. It cut across her shoulders to expose her collarbone, but it dipped more in the back. The sleeves went all the down her arms, coming off in a small ruffle. The bottom of the dress had embroidered floral designs that were small around her waist, and grew bigger as they trailed down the dress. The flowers were sunflowers, her favorite. Naruto delivered a vase of fresh flowers once to her personally that was filled with them. The dress itself was light blue.

And on her wrist was a turquoise bracelet.

Her confidence was booming, Naruto thought, as she walked into building. It was the same one that Naruto thought was small and didn't know why people would enjoy parties here, but when he looked in the room it seemed completely different. It was so much bigger than what he thought on the inside, almost as big as the dining hall back home. There was an upstairs, and a downstairs, with columns made of wood that held up the second floor. The columns were decorated in flowers that wrapped around them. Surely they were real flowers. There were tables everywhere along the room, and it felt like a hundred or so people were sitting there. The tables we're decorated with flowers of their own, as well as deer antlers. There was a table at the front of the room, heavily decorated. Naruto assumed this was the head table.

As soon as they had walked in the room, they were swarmed by people, similarly to how they were when they had first arrived. He tried to break through the crowds with Hinata, but it was impossible without accidently hurting someone. He sighed, accepting his fate of being pushed around.

Hinata had a gracious smile on her face, and a sense of elegance surrounded her. She shook hands with the town's people, and said hello to all the children individually. She faced each one with a smile, asking for their names. She would repeat them back, saying she was honored to meet them.

Naruto watched her work, keeping in mind that this was the same Hinata that had only had her first beer hours ago, that didn't know how to get on top of a bar stool. That same Hinata was being adored by all these people in the room, and by more who had followed in behind them.

' _Incredible.'_ He thought to himself.

Someone came up behind him, nudging his back to get his attention.

It was Shikamaru.

"My friend Choji told me he saw you out around the town earlier, is that right?" He asked with a coy smile.

Naruto wanted to kick himself for giving out his name. His hands started sweating, trying to come up with something.

'Ahh, I mean…" He started, not thinking of a good enough excuse.

Shikamaru sighed, still with that smile on his face. He put a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Choji won't either. I know what it feels like to want a day off, believe me, I do." He explained, watching Naruto's facial expression relax.

"You're a good guy, Shikamaru." Naruto told him.

Shikamaru looked over at Hinata while she was still greeting everyone.

"I couldn't imagine being in charge of a country, let alone at her age." He said softly.

"Yeah, but she's… amazing at it." Naruto responded.

Shikamaru took a glance over at him, seeing how his eyes looked at Hinata.

" _So that's it…"_ he thought, walking out to the side of Naruto.

"Well, I'm going to go take my seat, and you both should too." He told Naruto as he headed towards the front of the room.

"Oh, you have a seat this time for me? Or we're you not expecting me?" Naruto joked. Shikamaru scoffed.

"Just be grateful it's not broken!" Shikamaru yelled back, waving his hand. Naruto laughed quietly at him.

He made his way through the crowd of people, reaching out to Hinata.

"Excuse me…" He murmured to the people as he scooted by. He reached out to Hinata's arm when he was close enough.

"Hinata, we should go sit down… Shikamaru said to." He said, trying to avoid getting smushed as well as smushing someone else.

"I see…" She replied, taking her attention of the group of people.

Naruto walked in front of her, making sure everyone made a path for her to walk through. They walked across the floor, finding their seats at the head table, just as Naruto thought. He sat on the end, then it was Hinata, Shikaku, and then Shikamaru- one of which was not there yet.

"Hey, Shikamaru, what's this party even for?" he asked, leaning behind Hinata.

"Would you not celebrate if you just became a town? Everyone is just excited to be on the map." Shikamaru told him, leaning back in his chair.

"I see… and what do you do here?" he asked. "I mean, your father runs the town, but you're in the military. Are you stationed out here as well?"

"You got it." Shikamaru replied. "I report on what we're doing well at. How many crops we grow, deer we catch, and I monitor the town."

"Sorry if my son is being an annoyance to you." A voice said from behind them. All three turned around and watched Shikamaru's father take his spot at the table. Naruto awkwardly laughed.

"He was no trouble at all." Hinata told Shikaku as he sat down. Shikaku laughed at her reply.

"That means a lot coming from you. You're lucky, Shikamaru." He said while leaning over at his son. He could see Shikamaru roll his eyes.

"Anyway, we'll give everyone a few more minutes to arrive and then we'll start." Shikaku said to Hinata.

"What does tonight entail, if I may ask?"

"Well, once everyone gets here, I'll give a speech, we can serve food, and then we dance! … You don't have to stay for the last one if you don't want to." He told her honestly.

"Oh I would be delighted to stay. We don't leave till the morning anyway." Hinata replied.

She turned to Naruto.

"You want to stay to dance?" she asked him quietly.

"As long as it's not the stiff dancing we had to do last time." He told her honestly.

"I would hope not, I would hate that! This is such a fun environment I doubt it'll be ballroom dancing." She replied.

"Is that what it's called, ballroom dancing?" he asked

She nodded her head.

Someone started approaching their table. It was a taller man, whose hair was in a long ponytail. Naruto and Hinata watched as he approached. At first it looked as if he was walking towards Hinata, but really he ended up walking to Shikaku. Shikaku stood to greet him.

"Inoichi, how are you?" Shikaku asked, sticking a hand out to shake his.

"Better now that the decorating is done." The man, Inoichi, said.

Shikaku turned to Hinata, Hinata stood.

"Queen Hinata, let me introduce one of my closest friends, Inoichi." Inoichi bowed.

"It is an honor to meet you in person." Hinata bowed back to him.

"The pleasure is mine."

"Inoichi was in change or all the floral arrangements for tonight. His family owns the gardens that you pass on the outskirts of the town." Shikaku explained.

"Ah, you did a wonderful job. Even better than the arrangements in the castle." Hinata said.

"Sunflowers, do you like them?" Inoichi said, looking at Hinata's dress. Hinata looked down at them.

"Oh yes, they're my favorite." She replied, smoothing out the fabric.

"I see, I'll be sure to remember for the next time you visit." He said with a smile.

Hinata knew he was being kind but she couldn't help but find him a tad strange. She shook the feeling, knowing he was being genuine.

"Well, I better go take my seat." He told them all. He bowed his head to Hinata, turning to leave.

Hinata and Shikaku both sat down, Shikaku sat with more of a plop than she did. Hinata folded her hands in her lap. Naruto mocked her and did the same thing. She turned her head over to him and rolled her eyes, hiding a smile.

"He has a daughter your age, Inoichi does." Shikaku told Hinata.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, she's a bit high maintenance but I don't think she's too bad." Shikaku explained.

"Speak for yourself…" Shikamaru mumbled, resting his head on his hand. Shikaku gave him a glare.

"Shikamaru has been friends with her for years, they have sort of a brother and sister relationship."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes at the thought of how much of a pain it was dealing with her.

"Dad, shouldn't you start this thing already, the room is practically filled with people. They're all crowded about three feet in front of the Queen, waiting to talk to her." Shikamaru pointed out. His father sighed.

"Yes, I guess you're right." He said. He put his hands on the arms of his chair, grunting slightly as he got up. He walked around his chair, making his way to the center of the room.

"If everyone could find their seats…" He told them all, putting his hands in his pockets. The shift of people was slow, but eventually they all found chairs.

Hinata noticed all the different families sitting with each other. Some tables even had two families a piece at them, since they could fit ten people. They all looked cramped together, but they also looked happy at the same time. She was glad that they were happy.

"Now, we have all come a long way." Shikaku started, making his way around the room. He walked slowly, just about as slow as his speaking was. "I remember my son being only seven we built our house out here. Back then we we're surrounded by trees everywhere… Deer would cross in front of our house on so many occasions it was like we didn't have a house at all. But now… look at us." He gestured with his arms spread. "In just a few years we had built up a small community. When my son came home from Military training after a year, he was shocked at how much we had grown in just the time he was gone. "Now… we're our own town." He paused, letting the townspeople clap and yell. Naruto thought it was a bit much for just becoming a town, but he didn't mind.

"The Queen herself came to see our town, to view what we had to offer, to see what contributions we could make to this country, and she saw the potential in us."

Naruto could see Hinata smile, giving the slightest nod of her head to everyone, closing her eyes in the process.

"Queen Hinata, would you like to say anything?" He asked from across the room.

Naruto could see her body freeze for a full second before she stood up from her chair. She walked in front of the table and cleared her throat.

"I thank you. I thank all of you. What this town represents is… the very heart of what our country represents."

Hinata started walking around the room, similar to Shikaku. She made a point to stop at every table, the twenty or so that were in the room. She looked at every person, making sure they knew that she had acknowledged them.

"Hard work, and the determination to keep going. It's not every day, or even every year, that a new town is made. Most settlements die off for various reasons, but yours did not." She paused for a moment.

"You prospered under the leadership of Shikaku. You took the challenge, and you conquered it. And just being here has made me feel in debt to you all. You are doing a great service to your country, and are setting the example for future generations so they know what happens with those two elements- hard work, and determination- can do."

By now she had made her way back to the front of the room, staring off at everyone.

"I thank you." She said firmly, yet soft. She bowed, lower than she usually does, and everyone stood up and bowed back.

She raised her head slowly to be greeted with a roar of applause from the town people. People were cheering, others pounded the tables in front of them, and some threw their fists in the air. She stood there with a modest look on her face, waiting for it to slowly die down before she returned to her seat.

She smoothly entered back into her chair, slowly sitting down in it. Her attention turned back towards Shikaku as he continued to speak. Once everyone else focused back on him as well. She dropped her shoulders, letting out a breath.

Naruto leaned over to her ever so slightly, keeping his head straight.

"Did you plan that?" he whispered.

"Not at all." She replied, matching his volume.

Naruto blinked at her, amazed she could come up with something like that on the spot. He would have never sounded that nice.

"So you just made it up?" he whispered back.

"Not really made up, just said what was true." She explained, her head still forward.

He thought on that for a while, saying what was true. It seemed so simple, but to be so precise in her delivery was something she had to have been trained on.

His thoughts we're interrupted by a loud clap. His eyes refocused in the center of the room, staring at Shikaku. His hands were together, and he slowly rubbed them back and forth, looking around the room.

"Let's eat!"

…

Naruto stood and watched, his back against one of the pillars. The crowd that was here now of people was definitely smaller than what it was to start with. Many parents had left with their little ones, taking them home for the evening, taking the entire family with them. The ones that were still here seemed mostly like couples, and there were a few families left of older children.

One of which seemed to take a liking to Naruto.

During dinner she kept staring at him. Every time he would make eye contact with her she would quickly look away, only to go back to staring when he moved. At one point he had caught her pointing at him, taking to who he assumed was her mother.

She was small, maybe three or so, and just from looking at her across the room now, she would come up to about his knee, maybe half thigh. He couldn't really tell anything else about her except her hair color, which was a darker color. She wasn't really what he was paying attention right now anyway, it was Hinata.

In the center of the room were two people, Shikaku and Hinata, and they we're dancing the first dance of the night. Shikaku lead and she followed what he did, nothing major. She had told Naruto that it was standard practice for her to have the first dance at an event, so it came as no surprise to her. Naruto, however, did not like the sight of it at all. His arms were crossed in front of him, with his hands in fists as he watched them. The entire thing was completely innocent but just seeing her dance with someone else was enough to make his blood boil.

He watched as they bowed to each other, going their separate ways. Naruto could hear the music change as a new song started, one that was more upbeat with a heavy pulse. Hinata backed away from Shikaku and turned towards where Naruto was. He kicked off the pillar behind him only to watch as a mob of people got in the way between her and him. Everyone else was getting up to dance now that the first song was over.

Naruto sighed heavily, leaning back against the pillar.

He watched someone else take her to dance, and he couldn't blame them. She was the most powerful person in the country, and to dance with her was a once in a life time opportunity. On top of it, she was young and pretty and lively and incredibly smart.

Still didn't mean he was going to like watching them.

"Are you just staring?" someone said from behind him. He turned his head before he moved his eyes, keeping them locked on Hinata for as long as he could.

"Oh, Shikamaru, I thought you'd already be out of here. This doesn't seem like your kind of thing." Naruto remarked. Shikamaru sighed as he stood next to him.

"Trust me it's not, but it's better than being at home with my mother." He explained.

"Ah."

"Anyway, you're just watching?" Shikamaru asked again. He wanted to lean against the pillar Naruto was on, but there wasn't enough room. Instead he just took a chair from a table behind him.

"Yeah, it's not like I can really do anything else." He replied. "I can't leave, since I'm supposed to protect her if something happens, and I don't dance with most people."

"You'd only dance with her..." Shikamaru mumbled.

"What?" Naruto asked, not quite catching what he had said with the music picking up volume.

"Oh, nothing!" Shikamaru said defensively before changing the subject.

"So you're stuck here like me." He empathized. Shikamaru grabbed another chair from behind him, scooting it across the floor next to him. "Sit down." He gestured to Naruto.

Naruto hesitantly took the chair, still being able to keep an eye on Hinata. He moved his head slowly though the crowd, watching for anything unusual, something he has a habit of doing in large crowds nowadays. His eyes crossed paths with that girl again, the younger one. They made eye contact for a split second. Naruto didn't stop moving his eyes until he had gone all the way across the room, then finally back to Shikamaru.

"Ne, Shikamaru."

"Hm?" Shikamaru groaned. He was sitting backwards in the chair with his arms folded across the back.

"Who's that kid?" Naruto asked, tossing his head in the general direction. Shikamaru shifted his head in the general direction, spotting the kid.

"The girl with the brown hair?" Shikamaru asked, turning his head back towards Naruto.

"Yeah. She keeps staring at me." He explained.

Shikamaru let out a small chortle before continuing.

"That's Mirai. She has a thing for animals." He explained.

Naruto stared at him.

"Okay… but I'm not an animal, I'm a person." Naruto told him.

"Maybe not, but with those marks on your cheeks you could look like a cat." He told him, trying to reason.

"A cat?! I don't look like a cat!" Naruto huffed.

"To a three year old you could." Shikamaru concluded.

"… Mmm." Naruto groaned, not wanting to believe him. He went back to watching Hinata, now dancing with someone else.

He started feeling tired, almost regretting going out during the afternoon instead of taking a nap.

Almost.

He kept watching Hinata sway back and forth while she danced. He could tell by the look on her face, a pained smile, and her glances in his direction that the man she was dancing with wasn't too terribly pleasant.

Naruto felt something tap his shoulder. He turned his head, thinking it was Shikamaru, but to his surprise, it was the girl from earlier.

"Wha-?" Naruto asked, confused. He could hear Shikamaru laugh from behind the girl. He was holding her. There was a woman with red eyes standing behind him. The red eyes were definitely strange, but they matched the little girls perfectly.

"Mirai, did you have something to say to him?" Shikamaru asked the small girl.

"-skers…" she mumbled out.

"His whiskers?" Shikamaru confirmed. Mirai nodded.

Naruto felt like his jaw was going to drop. Did this kid really think he was a cat?

"You think he's a cat, don't you?" The woman behind Shikamaru asked. Naruto assumed that was her mother. She nodded her head slightly.

Naruto could feel his heart sink at the cute nod this kid just did. Shikamaru gave Naruto a look that just read 'You better play along.'

Naruto gulped.

"Ah… some days I am, other days I'm not. Today... I am not a cat." He told her, trying to sound believable. He could see her small eyes light up.

"Cat!" she said, pointing at him with a smile. Naruto smiled awkwardly back at her.

"Alright, you've found out the truth! Why don't we leave this gentleman alone?" The mother said, scooping her child up from Shikamaru.

"Bye Maruuu! Bye cat!" The girl said before the older woman positioned her in her arms.

"Thanks, Kurenai." Shikamaru said quietly as the woman walked away. Shikamaru turned back towards Naruto.

"…what was that about?" Naruto asked him, a worried smile on his face.

"Oh, nothing. Just wanted to make her happy." Shikamaru told him, leaning over his chair again. Naruto just kept staring at him.

Naruto, after giving up his stare with Shikamaru, turned his attention back to Hinata. To his surprise she was mere feet in front of him, walking towards his direction. He stood up from his chair to meet her.

"You need anything?" he asked her, not really knowing what else to say. She gave him smile along with a laugh.

"I just want you to dance with me!" she told him honestly. Naruto could tell she was already tired from dancing, and with everything else today. She held out her hand, waiting for Naruto to take it. Naruto didn't understand why she didn't want to return back to the inn to rest before they left in the morning instead of dancing more, but, it was her call. He did a quick glance towards Shikamaru whose eyebrow was raised and a faint smile was on his face.

Naruto took Hinata's hand as she led him out onto the floor of people.

Her hand was soft, as always. He nails were primed, and on her wrist was the bracelet he had purchased earlier that day. It did look great on her. The blue of it and the blue of her dress clashed slightly, but it looked a lot nicer on her than her other jewelry did. At least, Naruto thought so.

Hinata felt overjoyed to finally dance with someone she wanted to, and not dance with someone she didn't know. She was especially happy it was him. She was afraid that he wouldn't want to, after doing so much today and what happened at the ball last time. It was a relieving feeling she was glad she had.

There were maybe fifteen other couples dancing right now, giving them a fair bit of room in the building. Much different from the party Naruto had to go to last time. It felt more personal, more private. Naruto might even say intimate, but that was from who he was dancing with.

"So," he said while placing his hand on her waist. "How were your other dance partners?"

"Oh… they were… nice." She said hesitantly, almost making him want to laugh.

"I saw the face you were making with one of them, you looked pretty bad." He told her.

"You try dancing with him and see if you can stand his breath…"she said quietly. Naruto held in a laugh.

"At least he's gone now, you don't have to worry about him." He pointed out.

They danced there for a while, being completely silent. Two songs had passed with them like this, but neither one of them could tell. They were too focused on each other. Hinata felt like they were having a conversation by just looking at each other.

They both hadn't noticed how close they were to each other until someone had bumped into the back of Hinata. There wasn't room for her to go forward, instead she bumped into Naruto. He almost hit the ground, but positioned his leg out to keep their balance.

The man turned around and apologized profusely, not knowing the Queen was behind him. Naruto could tell he was somewhat drunk, judging by the slur in his words and the blush on his cheeks.

Naruto and Hinata continued with their dance, not sure how many songs had passed. The beat kept changing and they made sure to match whatever it was, but it seemed more like second nature than actual dancing.

"I didn't know we we're so close… sorry for almost knocking you over." Hinata mentioned a few minutes after it had happened.

Naruto shook his head slightly, smiling at her. "Who cares?"

He spun her.

"Well, I care." She said honestly, awaiting his hand to return to her waist.

Naruto chortled at her response, still smiling.

"I know you do."

They continued to dance. The danced and danced and then danced some more. Naruto could see the few guys along the edge of the floor eyeing the two of them, surely waiting for their dance with her, but if Hinata didn't notice, he wasn't going to say anything.

One by one the guys had left, some Naruto recognized that had danced with her already, wanting a second chance. Naruto felt selfish for not saying anything, but after watching a few of them leave he decided it wasn't a bad thing.

He had waited while they had their chances, now he wanted Hinata to himself.

The song had ended, and there was a pause before they changed songs. They both waited for the music to pick up again, but it never did. They looked over to the three musicians that had been playing for the night, but it looked like they were packing up their things.

Naruto looked around the floor and to his surprise, no one else was still dancing. Everyone had either left, or they we're grabbing their things to leave.

He looked at Hinata, who seemed to be noticing the same thing.

"What… time is it?" she asked him slowly, drawing the same conclusion he had.

"It's 11:30, Your Majesty." Shikamaru had said from behind them.

They both turned around in shock.

"Is it really that late?!" Hinata asked him in shock.

"We only danced to a few songs… how did it get so late?" Naruto muttered mainly to himself.

"…You we're both dancing for two hours together." Shikamaru told them bluntly.

"What?!" they both said in unison, causing Shikamaru to laugh.

"The party is wrapping up, so why don't you two go and get some sleep, huh? Besides, we can't clean with you all here still." Shikamaru suggested.

Both Naruto and Hinata looked at him, completely speechless. Last time Naruto checked the time it was only 8:30, and that was when the dance began.

"Okay… I guess I'll just say it." Shikamaru cleared his throat. "Please leave."

Hinata responded. "Oh! Yes of course, sorry to stay so long!" she replied, turning towards the door. "It was a lovely party!"

Naruto turned around to follow behind her.

"S-see you later, Shikamaru!" He stuttered out, catching up to Hinata.

…..

Naruto had taken a seat on one side of the bed, closest to the door.

Once they had gotten back to the room both of them realized they never fixed the single bed problem, but neither one mentioned anything about fixing it. The bed was big enough for the two of them, and it was going to be a lot more comfy than whatever Naruto would have to sleep on.

Naruto fell down on the pillow behind him, letting out a deep sigh of comfort. It was the most comfortable he had been all day, not that the ride down and the stiff chairs he sat in were much competition.

He looked over at Hinata, who was standing against the wall with her night dress on, staring out the window from before. Naruto concluded that the night dress looked incredibly comfy. He turned towards her.

"Hinata?" he asked her, but didn't get a verbal response. She just shifted her gaze from out the window to the floor. He gave her a moment to see if she would respond.

"We danced for forever…" she said quietly.

Naruto turned back onto his back, a smile on his face.

"Yeah, we really did." He reminisced from just thirty minutes ago.

"I was so caught up in being with you that I lost track of what was going on…" she told him, still staring down.

"So did I." he replied.

The room fell silent again. Naruto closed his eyes and thought back on the day.

So much had happened in just sixteen hours it was incredible. They fell asleep together, they named a settlement a town, and he showed her around the small town as she pretended to not be who she was! The love of happiness on her face that entire experience would have been worth whatever could have happened if they were caught. He felt like he had a real friend in Shikamaru now, and he ended the night dancing with her for two hours straight.

Now all that was left was to fall asleep with each other and that would be the cherry on top.

He thought back to how she had changed so much throughout the day. She went from regal, to a kid again, and back to ruling a country so elegantly. How she pulled that speech out of nowhere for the townspeople and they adored her for it, they applauded her for it. She sparked such morale in these people it was something completely new to him. Something he could never do.

His eyebrows lowered.

_Something he could never do…_

He looked back over at Hinata, who also had a smile on her face. She closed her eyes and sighed out. Naruto patted the bed.

"Are you going to lay down?" he asked her

Hinata's head shot up, staring over at him. He could see her cheeks we more red than usual, but didn't comment on it.

"Oh, yes…" she answered. She sat down on the edge, folding back the comforter of the bed, and then sliding underneath it. She put her head on the pillow that was laying there and closed her eyes.

"Very warm…" she told him. Naruto smirked, getting under the comforter with her. He took his arm and slipped it underneath her pillow. Almost like it was instinct, Hinata rolled to her side, resting her face in his chest. Naruto's other arm wrapped around her back.

"Mmm… more warm." She concluded, resting her head against him.

Naruto smiled at her, kissing the top of her head.

They had never shared a bed before, not in any sense of the phrase. He didn't know when or why they would, but he was glad he wasn't missing this opportunity. He could feel the heat of her breath through his shirt, the movement of her hands as she adjusted them against his chest, and how cold her feet where when the brushed against his own. She wondered if she felt anything similar like he was.

And of course, she was.

She could feel his heartbeat through his chest, a bit faster than what she would consider normal. The feeling of his hand placed firmly on her back and the small kisses he was giving her forehead made it feel like he was hugging her, just while they were laying down. She had a desire to fall asleep like this every night.

"I want to be like this forever…"

They both looked at each other, realizing they said the same thing at the same time. Neither one of them said anything else while staring at each other, but they didn't feel the need to. The kissed to break off the silence.

"Forever sounds wonderful…" Hinata finally said, snuggling back into his chest.

She could hear the crickets chirping from outside, a sound she had only heard a few times in her life.

"I want to be with you forever…" Naruto said, interrupting her thoughts. She looked back up to him. The tone of his voice was hesitant, almost worried. His eyes displayed the same thing. He wasn't looking at her, if anything he was trying to not look at her, avoiding contact.

"I… I just don't know if I can…" he finally got out.

Hinata looked at him in shock. She felt a pain in her chest hit her like a brick. It made breathing hurt.

"W-what do you mean?" she replied. She didn't understand where his worry was coming from, why he couldn't. Was something wrong?

Naruto slid himself up on the bed, bending his knees in towards his chest. He sighed. Hinata sat up next to him.

"I… I just can't do what you do." He admitted. "You rule a country! And me? I grew up in some slum alley."

"What?" Hinata responded immediately. "That doesn't matter! You are who you are, and that's who I love…" she tried to reason with him, putting an arm around his back.

"Yeah, but do you really think I could rule a country? Just saying it sounds so crazy to me, to actually do that would be just… I don't know." He huffed.

His leaned back against the bedframe, crossing his arms over his face.

"I just want what is best for you… and some days I doubt if that's me." he finally admitted.

Hinata's eyes widened. She was shocked to hear this from him. He had never mentioned anything about being scared of the future or his worry about it. He always was so happy for every moment they were together, she would have talked about it sooner if she had known he felt this way.

She breathed in.

"Look at me." she told him with determination. He hesitated, but took his arms away from his face. His eyes were slightly irritated.

"No one, not my sister, father, or even mother, has made me believe in myself as much as you have. The amount of time you dedicated to make me happy, and to protect me, is just proof of how great a leader you can be. You're brave, strong, kind, and you stand up for what you think is right. The rest of the stuff is something that can be taught. The qualities you have… those I can't change, and I don't want to change."

She had grabbed his hand at some point while she was talking, she was gripping it tight. His eyes kept staring at her. It felt like they were piercing though her, looking for something. Doubt? Or honesty?

He smiled.

"I don't know why I was worried." He said with a shake of his head. He leaned forward grabbing the back of her neck, kissing her. She kissed him back, expecting him to do it.

"You had nothing to worry about... I wouldn't love you as much as I do without thinking about the future."

They kissed again.

"I know you'd make a great King, believe me."

They pulled back slowly, enjoying the moment together.

"You want to get married then?"

Hinata almost choked on nothing as he said it. Naruto was a bit shocked at her reaction, moving back from her to give her some space.

"Oh my goodness you can't just.. I mean we can't just get married!" she reacted, putting her hands on her face.

"Well why not? If you believe in me so much then why not get married?" he reasoned.

"Ah…" she tried to debate. She wasn't going to pretend like it wasn't a good point, but honestly the only thing that was holding her back from saying yes was that she didn't have someone to ask 'is this okay? I can do this?'

It was her own decision to make.

"Let's go to bed, we can talk more about it tomorrow." He told her after not getting a response.

"Waitwaitwait no it's not that I don't want to! It's just there are-" she started. Naruto laughed at how defensive she was being.

"Don't worry about it, it's a big question. I don't even know if I'm ready to be honest." He explained, laying back down in the bed.

Hinata sat there for a moment before joining him back under the comforter. She sunk back into the position she was in earlier with her head on his chest. He was holding her closer than he had before.

"I love you…" he contently sighed out. Rubbing his head into the pillow.

Hinata exhaled, relaxing her body.

"I love you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took stupid long to write and I don't know why. Thursday I was sick, called in to work, everything like that. Friday Pokémon release and I was playing that all weekend. Come Monday and I'm thinking "Yeah, finish the chapter!" and NO. I didn't. And I am sorry… but here's the latest chapter! Development, cute moments, fun times, good stuff.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, to chortle is something so small but it has this gross word for what it is. Like I chortle on the daily but chortle is such a gross sounding word…
> 
> Carry on.

Hinata felt like she was in love right now.

They had just stopped at the pastry on their way out of town, picking up what they had made for the Queen on her visit. It was a cinnamon roll. They had made it fresh that morning for her and the warmth of the icing mixed with the savory dough was something that she wished she could taste forever.

The pastry shop had her try the first bite before she left, wanting to know if she liked it. She took one bite and it took every fiber of her being to not roll her eyes back because of how good it was. She wanted to sit there and eat it all, but she had to get back to the castle by noon. She thanked the pastry shop owners for their lovely gift, taking the rest with her. She told them every time she was in this town she would have one of their cinnamon rolls.

The next time she would be here would be years from now, if that, but they were just that good.

She had a few bites left of her cinnamon roll when she spotted flowers out the small opening of the carriage. She put her hand on Naruto's leg and shook it to get his attention, still having food in her mouth. He was still groggy from being woken up.

He turned his head to look out her window and saw the fields of flowers.

There were so many different colors and variations of them all, and the sun was just breaking over the horizon, making them even prettier than normal.

"Wow, look at them all…" he said, watching them go by.

Hinata swallowed.

"Aren't they beautiful? This must be Inoichi's flowers, the ones that Shikaku told us about." Hinata commented.

"I'm glad you remembered his name…" Naruto said quietly. "Think he has any sunflowers ready?" he asked her.

Hinata shook her head. "It's still just a bit too cold for sunflowers. We only have them because we're experimenting with a controlled environment."

"…ah." Naruto replied.

Suddenly the carriage stopped, alarming both Hinata and Naruto. There weren't any planned stops on the way back, so this was a red flag for both of them. The horses whinnied as they heard the driver hop down from his seat.

Naruto put his hand on Hinata's leg, turning to her.

"Wait here." He demanded. Hinata nodded.

Naruto got up slowly, putting an ear to the door of their cabin. He tried to listen for anything, hopefully voices. He could vaguely hear a conversation happening, but couldn't make out anything that was being said.

He breathed in sharp, opening the door. He was greeted with a yellow bombardment of flowers. The sudden surprise of them caused him to back up. He knocked his head on the ceiling, forgetting for a moment how short they were and how tall he was.

N-Naruto…" Hinata reacted.

"The nice people that run the flower gardens here wanted to give you these on the way out of town. How lovely." The driver said, his tone contradicting his words.

Naruto climbed back over to his seat, and the driver placed the bundle of flowers on the other bench across from them, grunting as he got back out of the carriage.

"Hope you enjoy 'em" He commented before closing the door.

Hinata and Naruto looked at the flowers, realizing something.

They were all sunflowers.

"But... These shouldn't be in bloom…" she said, getting up to grab one of the few dozen that were there. She held it in her hand, observing it. It seemed just like a normal one did- healthy, vibrant, and the stems freshly cut.

"Maybe they're also trying to do a ah… what'd you say?" Naruto tried to explain.

"A controlled environment?"

"Yeah, one of those!"

Hinata kept staring at the flower, turning it in her hand.

"Maybe…" she murmured. Hinata made a mental note to write to the flower farm and ask how they really did have sunflowers in full bloom.

They got through the field of flowers, watching as the terrain changed from flowers to grass, and then finally hitting the tree line. Everything became significantly darker at that point, since the trees blocked out the sunlight. Hinata leaned against Naruto's arm, resting her head. She was starting to feel a bit sleepy, but that usually happens in rides like this. The flowers were making the carriage smell so nice, and the one in her hand was so nice she didn't want to put it back.

She wished she hadn't eaten the cinnamon roll so fast, but it was just too good not to.

Naruto put his head on top of hers, wanting to sleep. The bumpy road didn't help in his endeavor.

Hinata thought he was acting rather silly, putting his head on hers. But it was something she had grown used to. Her parents never acted this way, her father was strict about showing affection in front of anyone. They only ever held hands in carriage rides, and never in public. Her father thought it showed weakness, something that he changed his perspective on in his later years. She loved this feeling though. Constantly feeling loved.

It was nice.

"You know, being married means a whole other thing if you're marrying me."

Naruto lifted his head off of her head, turning to look at her. She had a smirk on her face.

"What do you mean?" he asked, confused to her statement.

"It's a huge ceremony, no way around that. It would have to be held outside, so everyone that wanted to be there could be. You have to wear exactly this and you have to say exactly these things. It's a full day long event, food is served, of course there's a dance, and since you aren't royalty then there's the crowning ceremony you have to do, the same one that I had to do, and it's just a lot of-

He kissed her, mainly to interrupt her, but also because Naruto just liked kissing her.

"If at the end of the day," he started. "I'll still be married to you, it doesn't matter."

Hinata could feel her face heat up and the butterflies in her stomach as he looked at her. His eyes truly meant what he said.

"I thought… you said you didn't even know if you were ready." She commented.

"I thought about it for most of last night, and I realized something. There hasn't been a thing you've asked me to do that I can't handle, so why can't I handle this? Running a country takes the two of us, and you're doing it all on your own right now, it'll just be easier." He breathed in.

"I guess what I mean is, I think I'm the best thing for you."

Hinata turned around, shaking her head. Naruto sat there for a moment, shocked, before putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Whoa, hey, Hinata! What's wrong?" he asked as he tried to get her to turn around.

"I don't know, you just say all these loving things that no one has ever said to me before!" she replied, letting her nerves calm down.

Naruto laughed out his answer. "Well yeah, that's because I love you."

Hinata sat there for a moment, gathering her thoughts before she turned back to him.

"You're right, and I love you." She finally said. "I mean, if I want to marry you I have to." She joked with a small laugh.

" _ **Ooooi."**_

_Naruto rolled his eyes._

" _Kurama, whatever you need, can it wait? I'm having a moment here." He huffed._

" _ **It cannot!" he yelled out. "You think you can just marry her? You know what that means, don't you?"**_

" _Yes, yes, that I'd run the country as king I know I kno-"_

" _ **IDIOT!" Kurama interrupted. Naruto winced back at his loud voice.**_

" _ **I couldn't care less about that. But if you marry her that means I'm stuck with her until you die!"**_

_Naruto laughed._

" _Sorry, what do you want me to do about that?" he mentioned sarcastically._

" _ **Just let me talk to her! If she's your wife she's also mine!"**_ _Kurama stated_

_Naruto's lips pursed and his eyes narrowed at the fox._

" _Don't say that, that sounds weird. Don't call her your wife. Heck, she's not even my wife." Naruto replied, talking faster than normal._

" _ **You get the point. Just one conversation, that's all I ask." Kurama pleaded.**_

_Naruto thought he was being rather out of character for him. He never asked for things, especially for something like this._

Naruto sighed.

Hinata was staring at him, wondering what just happened.

His eyes just closed out of nowhere. He was talking and laughing and telling her that he loved her and then he was just gone. His eyebrows moved as if he was having a conversation, but he wasn't talking out loud.

He opened his eyes and looked at her, observing the worried face she had.

"Are… you okay?" she asked hesitantly.

"Me? Oh yeah, just ah…" he hesitated, trying to figure out how to say it.

"Kurama wants to meet you."

Hinata froze for a moment, only blinking a few times.

"Oh… that's possible?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's weird, trust me I know. But he's begging me." Naruto explained.

"I mean, i would love to meet him. I just don't understand how that would work…" she said honestly.

"One sec." Naruto told her, holding up a finger.

He closed his eyes, exhaling loudly.

" _One thing out of line and I swear I'll kill you." Naruto told Kurama. Kurama chuckled at him._

" _ **I'd love to see you try."**_

His eyes opened. He was facing forward and Hinata couldn't see his eyes, but she saw the marks on his cheeks grow much more defined, almost like they were black. She chanced a look down at his hands, noticing they were more claw-like. She was willing to bet money that his eyes would be red as well.

He turned his head slowly, observing the flowers in front of him. His eyes slowly met with Hinata's.

She felt cold, looking at them. They were so different from what she had known. The blue eyes she had fallen in love with for one, and even the few times she saw them as red. These were… like a beast. They were powerful, with the pupils just slits filled with darkness. She felt like she couldn't breathe when he was looking at her.

She knew this was definitely not Naruto.

" **What's with the flowers?"**

Hinata breathed in quick, taking back by his voice. It was low, like a rumble. She could even compare it to thunder with how booming it felt. She caught a glimpse of his teeth; fangs.

"They… were a gift." She breathed out.

His eyes looked her over, from head to toe. He got up from his seat, maneuvering around her. She stayed still as he did it. He was low, crouched down lower than what was needed to not hit the ceiling. He got closer, sniffed her, and then backed away. The small space didn't seem enough for the atmosphere.

Suddenly his demeanor changed. He plopped back down on the bench with her, folding his arms.

He closed his eyes and nodded his head.

" **Yep, I knew it."** He said nonchalantly.

Hinata caught herself staring again.

"Knew what?" she asked, not understanding what he meant.

" **You're even hotter than what I could picture."**

Hinata's shoulders raised, along with her eyebrows. She pulled back from him slightly, completely surprised from what he said.

" _Kurama you are so dead! Get over here so I can kill you! You can't just say shit like that!" Naruto yelled out, enraged._

" _ **Oh shut up, brat! Let me finish."**_

"Uhm... Thank you." Hinata finally responded, gathering her thoughts.

Kurama looked over at her and smirked.

" **You're welcome."** Kurama leaned over towards her. **"You're name is Hinata, correct."**

Hinata nodded.

"And you're… Kurama? Or would you rather me call you something else?" she asked, treading carefully.

" **Kurama."** He replied. Hinata couldn't tell if he was smirking or if it was just a crooked smile.

"Kurama then." She reasoned.

" **Hold out your hands, I want to give you something."** Kurama told her. Hinata hesitantly held out her hands, leaving them open. Kurama shook his-or Naruto's- head.

" **No, like this."** His held his hands up with his palms showing and his fingers spread, like he was pushing against something. Hinata changed hers.

He put his hands against her own, causing her to wince. They were incredibly hot to the touch, but after a few seconds she was able to tolerate it.

" **Ha, if you think that's bad, the present is going to be terrible."** Kurama told her with a small laugh. Hinata laughed nervously back.

"Alright, this could hurt, but just deal with it." He said bluntly.

Suddenly Hinata's hands felt like they were burning. It was an intense feeling that made her want to cry out. It made her arms shake with pain, but the stern look on Kurama's face kept her focused. She didn't know what he was doing, but the fact that he looked so focused calmed her down.

Suddenly the burning stopped, and her entire body felt incredibly warm. She started to sweat from the heat.

" **There. You know what I just did?"** Kurama asked her. Hinata shook her head.

" **I gave you some of my power. It'll lie dormant in you until you need it. Your body will feel hot for a while, but once it gets used to the feeling, it'll go away."**

Hinata looked at her hands. They weren't red or blistered from the heat, the looked just as normal as before.

"…can I ask a few questions?" she asked quietly, still looking at her hands.

" **Sure."**

She took a breath.

"How do I use it? Will my eyes change to red? Do I have marks on my face now? What about my teeth? What is it supposed to do?"

Kurama closed his eyes at the bombardment of questions.

" **Calm down, calm down, one at a time…"** he told her, scratching behind his ear. **"Let's see... easiest first. No, you don't have marks, and no, your eyes and teeth will stay the same, I didn't give you enough for that to change. You probably couldn't even handle that amount with your body so small… what else was there?"**

"How do I use it and what will it do." She reminded, taking the hand she had on her cheek away.

" **Ah, yes. It'll heal you for one, and you can also use it for an extra bit of strength. If you can truly master it, it can act as a sort of shield over a specific part of your body. As to how you use it, you just have to feel it. It'll come naturally. "**

Hinata looked over at him.

"You seem to have done this before." She commented.

" **Well, I'm hundreds of years old. I've met a few people."** He told her honestly.

"Oh…" she commented, not realizing how old he was. "So I can use it right now?" she asked, trying to figure out how it worked.

Kurama sighed

" **No, you need to wait about a week. Let your body get used to the power. If you could use it right now, and trust me, you can't, it could cause your body to reject it and… it just wouldn't be good."** He explained.

Hinata looked down at her hands, wondering just what she could do. It was a nervous feeling, but also it felt relieving to have a layer of protection that lived in her.

The last thought made her shudder.

" _Kurama, are you done yet?" Naruto asked him impatiently._

" _ **I haven't even had ten minutes!"**_ _he retorted._

" _Mmm…" he groaned._

Hinata looked back over at him, watching as he stared off.

"Uhm, it's nice to finally meet you, Kurama." Hinata told him. He turned his head towards her, and their eyes locked. He stared into hers, and they weren't fearful or cautious like most that cross his path.

They were curious.

The edges of her eyes curved as she smiled at him. Genuinely smiled. The only other person to ever smile at him like that was Naruto- the only human he ever trusted.

He smirked.

Hinata's smile faded as she turned her head to the side slightly.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

Kurama folded his arms in front of his chest.

" **No, not a thing."** He answered. **"Anyway, have the brat back, he's being impatient."**

Hinata watched as he breathed in, closing his eyes. He held that breath. Everything started to fade away. His cheek marks and claws slowly turned back to how they normally were. His hair flattened down slightly as well. Something Hinata didn't notice was standing on end.

He let go of the breath and Hinata was met with the same blue eyes that she had known. They stared at each other for a moment before one of them spoke.

"Sorry about him, he's rather… blunt." Naruto apologized. Hinata laughed at his description.

"I could tell." She commented.

Naruto grabbed her hands cautiously, holding them in his own, observing them. Hinata figured that he wanted to make sure that Kurama didn't hurt her, being as protective as he is. He looked them over, both sides, every finger, even her nails. Once his examination was done, he sighed.

"Hinata, you have to be extremely careful with what Kurama gave you. If your body isn't used to his power, it can kill you." Naruto told her seriously. His eyes were sharp, looking at her.

"Kill me?" she repeated.

"Not that he gave you enough to do that! But enough of it can, I've seen it happen." He further explained.

"You've seen it?" she commented.

"Ah…" his eyes narrowed, looking off to the side. Hinata saw his shoulders fall as well.

"Yeah, a while back." He said quietly.

Hinata put her hand on his shoulder.

"What happened?"

He stayed silent for a while, contemplating what to tell her. He didn't want to relive what happened, but he didn't want to avoid the subject with her either.

"It was a few years ag-"

As if some divine intervention happened, the carriage stopped moving. It wasn't like before when they had stopped, the horses didn't whinny like they always do when they're pulled back. It was as if they just got tired of walking and decided to stop.

Naruto couldn't hear anything outside that sounded like talking, or someone walking, anything like that. Just they stopped moving.

Hinata noticed it was strange as well.

"I'll see what's up." Naruto said as he got up, making his way towards the door. He opened it, just like before, except there weren't flowers in the way.

He poked he head out, scanning what he could see. The trees were tall and thick, leaves coming off every branch.

He felt like someone was staring at them from in the leaves, but he shook it off. Anyone would feel that way in a forest as dense as this.

He stepped out of the carriage, looking at the horses. They were both standing there. One was biting at the grass along the side of the road, the other shook his head. Neither looked injured or disturbed. He crept slowly towards the front of the cart.

' _What the..?'_

The driver was hunched over, his head dipped low towards the earth. The reins were slack in his hands, almost like they were going to fall out.

He jumped onto the driver's seat, shaking the driver of the carriage.

"Hey, are you okay?" Naruto asked as he kept shaking him, but he got no response. Naruto, thinking the worst, put an ear to his chest.

" _He's still alive… did someone put him to sleep? Knock him out?'_ he thought. Naruto took his hand and felt the man's head, felling for any sort of bump. Once again, there was nothing. Naruto searched his neck, but there weren't any indications of something injected in the man that could cause this.

It was if he had just fallen asleep naturally.

"Everything okay?" Hinata yelled from the carriage. She stuck her head out, looking for him.

"Ah… the driver is unconscious but I don't know why…" he told her honestly. He heard her jump down from the coach, hitting the ground.

"What do you mean?" she asked, walking up behind him.

"I mean, he's unconscious, but I can't figure out why." He answered, not knowing a better way to explain it."

Hinata joined him on the small platform, trying to see what was happening.

"You can't get him to wake up?" she huffed as she pulled herself up to see well.

"I'm tempted to slap him just to see if it'll do the trick." He half joked.

"He's not…dead, is he?" Hinata worried.

"No, at least, not yet." Naruto didn't know what was going on with him.

"Well, let's put him in the carriage for now, and we can just drive back." Hinata decided.

"I was about to say the same thing."

Naruto carried the man off the seat, and Hinata pulled him in the carriage, setting him next to the flowers.

"Alright, if I get us lost I'm sorry." Naruto said honestly. He had no idea how to get back, but he was hoping that the roads would be pretty obvious. Maybe he could ask for directions if he needed.

"I'll keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn't get worse." Hinata told him, making sure the man had proper support for his head.

"Great. I'll see you when we get back." Naruto tucked his head in the carriage. They gave each other a quick kiss.

"Love you." She told him as he ducked back out.

"Love you too."

…..

"Are you happy with yourself?"

Sasuke stared at the man blankly, coldly, and emotionless. He watched as the man's nose flared in rage, upset that he wasn't responding. The man was in his own home, surrounded by his own things. Sasuke didn't know the layout of the home, where he kept the weapons at, or anything, but the man still was scared of Sasuke, even though he tried not to show it.

"I did what you wanted, now do what you promised!" the man yelled, pointing at Sasuke fiercely.

Sasuke blinked.

"Fine." Sasuke dragged out. He wasn't one to not hold up his end of the bargain. Sasuke kicked off the wall he was leaning against in the small house. He reached into his pocket of the long cape he was wearing, pulling out a piece of parchment. He handed it over, and the man took it cautiously.

"That's a map. You find that location on the map, you'll find your daughter." Sasuke explained, walking towards the door to leave.

"How can I trust this? Just take me to her!" the man yelled, crumpling the parchment in his hand. Sasuke paused at the door.

"I don't back out of deals. You'll find her safe and well-kept there."

The man stared down at the parchment, opening it up. The town was marked on the map, and it was a few miles to the north that there was an x marked on the map.

' _Ino…'_ The man thought as he stared at the map.

"But remember, you tell anyone what you did, and they'll kill you. Threatening the life of royalty is punishable by death, even if it was for the sake of your daughter. For your own good, I hope you don't."

He wanted to cry, looking at the x on the map. She was so close to him, yet he was unable to do anything to get her back aside from do as this man ordered, putting the life of their Queen at stake. Sasuke told him that it would merely put her to sleep, but what was going to happen after that was something he did not know. He didn't think he could live with himself if either of them ended up dead because of him, but his daughter is his daughter.

He was shaken by the sound of the door shutting as Sasuke left. The man never knew his name, never knew his motive, just what he wanted and what he would do if he didn't get it.

He shoved the map into his pocket and went outside to grab his horse. He looked around to see the intruder walk off, but he was nowhere to be seen.

….

Sasuke was watching the road from the trees. He was waiting for them to cross the tree line, watching as they went on. He knew it was only a matter of time before it took effect.

The flowers that Inoichi had given them-the sunflowers- in them was a pheromone that was to cause sleep on whoever smelled it, as long as you didn't have the antidote that Sasuke developed. Both he and Inoichi had it. Once you were asleep, there was no waking up for twelve hours at best. Undetectable to the nose, and colorless.

Sasuke didn't so much want to do anything to them, he wanted to watch.

He knew that the power Naruto had was insane. He had watched their fight with Danzo, and he was sure if Naruto had been more prepared for a fight like that, Danzo would have been dead in minutes. He wanted to see what affected him, and what didn't. Test his limits. Hinata being there was just a plus.

He kept up with them for a few miles, jumping form tree to tree as softly as he could. He had built his stamina, as well as a few other things, while being on the run. To him, this was a piece of cake. The driver wasn't going very fast, and the trees were so close together and thick that it was almost like a separate road itself for him to walk on.

Then he saw it, the drivers head went slack. It drooped down, and his hands fell open, loosening the reins on the horses. The horses kept going for another minute before stopping, since they didn't have direction. They had stopped moving completely only for a minute and Sasuke decided to check on the inside of the coach, make sure that they were out as well.

Sasuke stopped right before he was about to jump down from the trees when he saw the door open. He backed away as much as he could without being noticed. He was surprised that he hadn't snapped a branch in the process.

He watched as Naruto pulled his head out, scanning the area. Sasuke knew their eyes met, but Naruto didn't react. His breath was held.

He saw him leave, observing the area, the horses, and finally noticing the driver. Sasuke watched as Naruto tried to wake him up, but nothing was working.

' _So it doesn't affect him…'_ Sasuke thought. He bet that no sort of pheromone trick would affect him. Whatever he is, his body must burn it out like a virus.

Hinata poked her head out as well.

Sasuke's eyes widened when she did. There was no way she wasn't affected. The flowers were in the carriage with her, she should have been out within minutes of that. His eyebrows furrowed, trying to think of how it could happen, but he kept drawing the same conclusion. There was no way it could happen. If it didn't knock her out by now, it wasn't going to. In an hour or so it would dissipate and not have any effect.

He watched as they put the man in the carriage with Hinata. He tuned in on their conversation, wanting to know what their plan was.

"Alright, if I get us lost I'm sorry."

"I'll keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn't get worse." \

"Great. I'll see you when we get back."

Sasuke watched as they kissed. It may not have been for very long, but it was something he needed. Something that he was hoping for.

"Love you."

"Love you too."

Sasuke stared as Naruto whipped the horses reigns forward, moving them down the road.

"That's a weakness… it's not his job to protect her anymore. He loves her."

Sasuke gave just the slightest smile as he turned around, heading in a different direction than they were. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot has thickened more! Sasuke has been mentioned again since chapter 20! Oh kaluu kalay something something if I can fit everything into one chapter then the smut chapter will be out the chapter after that… so two chapters. That'll be a double chapter special, so 2 chapters in one day, full length. Good times.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter should really be two chapters, buuut I didn't think itd be fair o put the last section at the beginning of the smut chapter because that wouldn't be fair to the people that don't want to read it… so theres like an obvious break and im sorry ;-;

The driver didn't remember anything that would have caused him to fall asleep like he did. He just was drowsy and couldn't wake himself up. Hinata hoped nothing was wrong with him, but she was thankful there wasn't any sort of attack.

She sat there at the dinner table, staring at the table in front of her. She told the staff not to serve her until he was there, until Naruto showed up. He was never late for a meal, but dinner is usually at six thirty for them.

It was almost eight.

She knew that they had gotten back a bit later than planned from their trip because of what happened, and the fact that Naruto didn't know where they were going, but that shouldn't have put him so far behind that he would be late but an hour and a half.

She sighed, slumping down in her chair. She watched the clock at the end of the room, ticking away.

….

Naruto knew he was going to regret this, but he also knew that this day was bound to happen. He'd rather get it over sooner rather than later.

He stood there, hesitantly in front of her door. HE wanted to knock, prepping his hand a few times to, but never actually did.

The relationship between them had grown more distant the more he was around. She started off joking and making fun of him, but the more he was around, the less she seemed to like him. He never knew why.

"Are you going to knock or what?" a voice behind the door said.

Naruto straightened his back out, and sighed before he did just that, knocked. He knocked three times.

The door slowly opened.

"So, I see you've finally come to see me." she told him with a hand on her hip. Her door was slightly open, just by a foot or so. Naruto was standing outside it.

"Hanabi, do you have a minute?" Naruto asked her, not understanding the tone she had used.

"Hm, what do you want?" the rebellious teenager asked with a huff. Naruto thought there was no way these two were related.

"Can I come in? Or we go somewhere we can talk?" Naruto pleaded, not wanting to have this conversation in her doorway.

"No, you can't come in here! Whatever you want to tell me you can say from right there." She reasoned, still blocking the entrance to her bedroom.

"Hanabi please, it's important!" Naruto tried to convince her.

Hanabi hesitated for a moment, giving another huff.

"Please." Naruto said, more calm this time, more sincere.

Hanabi turned her head to the side.

"Fine but it better be important." She muttered as she walked into her room, letting Naruto in after her. Naruto was relieved.

"Thank you! I promise I'll make it as quick as possible." He promised, closing the door behind him.

He had never been in Hanabi's room before. It was much brighter than what he imagined it would be. Her bed was pink, with stuffed animals that lined the end of it, some were rabbits, and most were bears. The room was as big as Hinata's old one, with the same tall windows, but the entire thing was just more childish. He wondered if she kept all the animals because she couldn't throw them out, or wouldn't throw them out.

Hanabi jumped onto her bed, grabbing a pillow from behind her.

"What is it?" she asked impatiently.

Naruto took his eyes away from observing the room and focused them on Hanabi.

"Right…" Naruto started, grabbing the chair from the other side of the night table next to her bed. "Hanabi, I need to ask you something, since you're Hinata's only living family."

Hanabi looked down at the pillow she was holding, playing with the fringe.

"You want to marry her, don't you?" she asked quietly, but still rather harsh.

Naruto froze for a moment, wondering how she knew. He had never talked about it before with her. He adjusted himself in the chair.

"How did you k-"

"I know how you look at her. How you're always together, how you'd do anything for her, and I know she'd do the same. It was rather obvious…" Hanabi explained. "It was just a matter of time really."

Naruto stared at her, not knowing what she meant.

"Are you not… wanting that?" he asked her, wanting to understand what was going on.

"It's just… been lonely since father died." She admitted, Naruto mentally starting putting that as the reason she was becoming so distant.

I feel like I lost both my father and my sister since she's always so busy all the time, and if were to get married to anyone that'll just be more things to take her away from me…" Hanabi went on. She felt like a child, being upset with her sister for taking on the responsibilities she had to, but she still didn't think it was fair.

Naruto got up from his chair, sitting next to her on the bed.

"Hanabi… you know what the first thing Hinata wanted to know after she woke up from what happened? When your father died?" Naruto asked her, knowing she didn't know.

"What?" she asked just to entertain him.

"She wanted to know if you were okay. She didn't ask about me." he told her honestly.

Hanabi looked over at him.

"What are you getting at?" she wondered.

Naruto smiled at her before he laid is back down on her bed.

"What I mean is that Hinata cares for you, she cares so much for you. Her being married wouldn't add more things for her do to, I'd be there to help her do it. That gives her more free time to spend with you." He explained, staring at her ceiling. It was decorated in a mural of horses and people he didn't quite understand.

"You think so, or are you just saying that?" she asked as she leaned back with him.

"I know so." He replied with confidence.

Hanabi was fourteen. She was past the age where she would be fooled by words and then forget they were mentioned, yet still impressionable. Naruto knew that she needed family in her life, and Hinata being what she had left, Naruto wasn't surprised by her actions, but he was surprised it took her this long to say anything.

"Hinata's noticed too, we both have. It's almost like you're avoiding her." Naruto confessed.

"I just… I don't want to be a burden to her. She has other things to worry about than her little sister." Hanabi sighed.

Naruto laughed, not loudly, but a natural one.

"Doing that makes her worry about you even more."

Hanabi turned her head away from the ceiling, and away from him, facing the head of her bed.

"I didn't know she worried so much." Hanabi mumbled.

"You're her sister, she's going to worry about you no matter what." Naruto reasoned with her. "And her worrying makes me worry."

There was a moment of silence between them.

"You care about Hinata, huh? My frumpy sister?" Hanabi asked, breaking Naruto's thoughts.

"What? She's not frumpy." He retorted. Hanabi laughed.

"You should have seen her a few years back. Total pushover. I could get her to give me her dessert just by taking it and she would just say 'Oh, that's fine, I guess.'" Hanabi remembered. She turned her head towards Naruto.

"You don't take Hinata's desserts, do you?"

Naruto gave her a puzzled look.

"No, not that I remember." He answered truthfully.

Hanabi smiled at him, pleased with the answer.

"Okay."

"…okay? Just like that? You just asked me if I take her food." Naruto was confused as to why that was the reason she said yes.

Hanabi turned towards the ceiling again.

"I was a jerk to Hinata after our mother died. I took advantage of her every chance I could. I stole from her, I took her toys, her blankets, anything. I knew that she couldn't complain to father about it because he would just scold her for being weak. So, if you don't treat her like I did, you must be pretty good." Hanabi explained.

Naruto started at her, blinking a few times.

"Wow, you we're a jerk." Naruto told her, half laughing. Hanabi took her pillow and hit him with it.

"Shut it! I know I was." she yelled at him, hiding her own laugh as he tried to protect himself from her pillow.

When she was done beating him with her pillow, she sat back up. She contently sighed.

"If you care about her that much, there's nothing I can do to stop you anyway."

Naruto rolled off her bed and onto the floor, recovering from the pillow attack. She had hit him rather unexpectedly.

"Are you sure? You think I could run a country?" Naruto half-joked with her. The other half was serious.

"I mean, mom did it." She said casually.

Naruto sat back in the chair he had pulled up earlier, crossing his arms. "What does that mean?" he asked.

"I mean, Mom wasn't royalty, at least, not for a long time. She did it just fine." Hanabi explained further.

Naruto gave her a confused look. "I thought that her and your father were arranged to be married. By your grandfather."

"Yeah, but Mom only became royalty because her sister married someone from the land of wind-not very important, like a cousin of their prince. Then a year later she was to marry my father." Hanabi elaborated. "But from how well she took to everything, you could never tell."

Naruto started at her, processing what he was just told. If she wasn't royalty for most of her life, they were practically the same. He had been around Hinata for a few months, which gave him some sort of experience with everything. She, if he remembered right from the history he had been taught from Jiraiya, was only a year older than he was when she married Hiashi.

Naruto felt more relieved about everything with that in mind.

"Hey, what was your mom li-" Naruto started, but he was interrupted by the chimes of the clocks throughout the castle. Naruto stopped and counted them.

Eight.

He jumped out of his chair, not realizing how late it was.

"Hanabi, thank you, thank you for everything!" He said, wanting to hug her. He knew she wasn't one for them though, plus he was running late. He made his way over to her door. "But I've got somewhere I need to be."

Hanabi laughed coyly at him.

"You forget dinner with Hinata?" she asked, knowing the answer.

"You don't have to rub it in… Anyway, I have to go, thank you again!" he yelled out as he closed the door behind him.

Hanabi laughed to herself on her bed, flopping down on her back again.

"He's a good fit." She murmured to herself. She turned her head towards the end of her bed, where most of her stuffed animals were. Most were her own, but some she had stolen from Hinata when they were little, they were the bunnies.

"You've really come a long way, sister…"

….

The clock chimed, signifying it was finally eight. She had waited an hour and a half for him, but he never showed. She couldn't fathom why she was so upset for him not being here. She ate alone probably twice a week just because of how their schedules matched up. Maybe it was because he said he'd be here, or the fact that he kept telling her that he loved her and wanted to be with her forever _just today._

Hinata finally stood up from her place at the long table, putting her napkin from her lap back on the table.

"Miss Hinata?" one of the kitchen staff asked when she stood.

"Just have it delivered to my room, okay?" She answered without turning towards her.

"… Of course, we'd be happy to." She replied, scurrying off to the kitchen to tell them the plan.

Hinata pushed her chair out from behind her, slipping through the opening. She calmly pushed it back towards the table. She stopped for a moment to look at the silverware and napkin that were placed next to her own.

She turned, wishing that she hadn't stopped to look in the first place. She walked towards the door. Once the flooring changed from the muted maroon carpeting to the wooden floor the echo of her shoes hitting the ground felt deafening to her.

She hesitated at the door leading to her bedroom, her hand on the handle. She gripped it tightly, breathing in.

Suddenly, the door opened towards her.

The floor was hard as her back hit it. She was trying to comprehend what just happened as she stared up at the ceiling. She blinked a few times before she heard anything.

"H-Hinata! Are you okay?!" Naruto exclaimed. "I didn't know you were right there…"

He bent down on the ground next to her, making sure she didn't hit anything too hard.

"Yeah, I'm fine…" she replied. She wasn't too confident in her answer quite yet, but nothing really hurt.

"Here, let me help you up." Naruto offered, sliding an arm under her neck. He moved it down her back, pushing her forward.

She sat up, and she took her hand in his. He sat on his knees with her on the floor.

"Why were you next to the door?" he curiously asked.

"Oh… I didn't think you were going to show up, so I was going back to my room." She admitted. A part of her felt bad for leaving, knowing that he was going to show up, but another part of her was still upset he was so late.

"Yeah, I don't blame you, I am pretty late." He confessed

"Um, Miss Hinata? Do you still want your meal to your room?" the worker asked, coming out of the kitchen when she heard Hinata hit the floor.

"Oh, in here is fine." Hinata replied.

Naruto helped her off the ground the rest of the way, making sure she was really okay.

"So why were you so late?" she asked him, sitting down in her chair at the table. She always sat at the head spot, and Naruto sat diagonal to her.

"Oh yeah, I had to talk to your sister." He said with a smile.

Hinata gave him a blank stare. Hanabi wouldn't even talk to her, let alone talk to Naruto, even on a good day.

"About what?"

Just then a worker left the small door that lead to the kitchen with two plates of food in their hand, coming to set them down in front of the two.

"I'll tell you in a minute." He answered Hinata. He didn't want the worker to overhear and make assumptions about anything.

"O-okay?" she said, not picking up on his reasoning until she saw him eyeing the worker as she left, returning to the kitchen. His shoulders relaxed once she left.

"So, I wanted ask Hanabi something, which was a pain just to get her to agree to that. But I went to her to ask her something and she told me I could if I don't take your food." He explained, knowing Hinata would be lost. He wanted to laugh at her expression, but held it back.

"Okay… what did you ask…her?" she said slowly, not remembering if he even said in the first place.

Naruto smiled at her, wrapping his hand around hers that was set at the table.

"I asked if I could marry you, since she's your family."

Hinata's breath caught as she heard what he had said.

Maybe it was the smile on his face that just beamed how happy he was, or the warmth of his own hands around hers, or maybe it was what he had told her earlier today, that he was the best thing that he could give to her, or just perhaps it was because she was hungry or a culmination of all of it-

But she began to cry.

It wasn't just that her eyes were watering, or that one single tear left her, it was full on tears. Her body started shaking, she hiccupped, and she was squeezing the hand that he had left on her own as they fell. She tried to say something-anything, but it just wouldn't work, so instead she just smiled, knowing she must look ridiculous with a tearful smile on her face. Even looking at him wasn't working since her tears were blocking her vision.

"Whoa, Hinata, it's okay. There isn't a need to cry like this." He said sincerely. He was glad she reacted positively-at least he thought it was- but he wasn't expecting this. It was as if he had struck something so vulnerable within her she just couldn't stop.

"I-I-I-I just… Hana-bi m-means-" she tried to say, but just hadn't calmed down enough.

Little did she know that Hanabi was watching the entire thing. She had cut through the nursemaid corridor and was peeking through the crack she had made of door, watching.

Her, and the four nursemaids that had wondered what she was doing. They were all staring through this small crack in the wall, trying to hear what was going on. Hanabi tried to fill them in, and she knew that her sister was crying because Naruto finally told her.

"Ha-Hanabi means s-so much t-to me-e… y-you really a-asked her?" she finally mumbled out through her tears and hiccups. She took her hands and tried to wipe off her face.

"Of course!" he told her joyfully.

Hanabi stood there in the excited whispers of the nursemaids around her. They were so excited and elated about the news, throwing out questions like "when will it be?" "What flowers will they have?" followed by a murmur of giggling from them all.

"Why are you all so excited anyway?" she asked them, out of curiosity and to get them to quiet down.

The oldest of the four responded. "We've known the both of you since you we're born, it's almost like watching you own child get married!" she whispered excitedly.

Another responded. "And Hinata is always so nice to us, leaving us treats and making sure our families are fed and have a place to stay. The other month the roof of our home caved in and she let us stay here while it was being fixed in the guest quarters."

Another. "Plus, Naruto is really nice too. He helps around here a lot whenever he can, even if it's not often. And he cares a lot about Miss Hinata."

The last one chimed in. "They just work well together."

Hanabi looked at them all, not knowing how well they knew her sister and him, but what they said weren't a surprise to her, she knew her sister always was too kind for her own good, and Naruto, while he can be unrefined some days, does what he can when he can.

Hanabi turned her attention back towards the crack as she heard Naruto say something.

"So, what do you say, you want to do it? I know we haven't known each other for very long, but after spending so much time with you, I couldn't imagine living without you" he told her honestly. If he wanted to be really honest with her he could have dropped the confidence and be shaking as he asked right along with her.

Hinata tried to say an answer but her words were failing her, so instead she just nodded her head with a smile to match his own.

Hanabi wanted to yell in excitement, but she knew she had to keep quiet.

The nursemaids behind her, however, did not.

The each let out a victory yell, and a few of them even started clapping. Hanabi turned to them in the small hallway.

"Quiet, you're going to give us away-"

One of the nursemaids knocked into her in all the commotion, causing her to fall back into the door. The door opened all the way, and all five of them fell out on top of each other.

Naruto stood up, not knowing how to react to the situation, and Hinata was trying to clear her face from her crying, wanting to see what was going on.

"You're all dead…" Hanabi mumbled into the floor. She was at the bottom of the pile, mushed to the ground.

The pile of girls slowly moved off her, finally letting her pop up from the ground with a gasp. She breathed heavily, looking at all the girls avoiding eye contact with her. She turned back towards Naruto and Hinata.

"A… Hanabi?" Hinata asked, finally clearing her eyes well enough to see.

"They gave us away, I wasn't going to interrupt." She explained, pointing at the people behind her.

She stood up from the ground and fixed her dress. Once she straightened out the fabric, she brushed her hair down with her hands, making sure it wasn't doing anything funny. She approached her sister calmly, stopping in front of her. Hanabi's demeanor changed once she stopped moving from regal and emotionless to the classic smirk she always had.

"So, when's the wedding?"

…

She was overwhelmed, no doubt about it.

There were so many questions that she didn't think mattered that everyone was asking of her. What color do you like more? Do you want this flavor or that flavor, what about accommodations for people coming from other countries? What time do you want it to be at? In the grand ballroom, or would that be too small? Do you want long tables or round tables?

Hinata swore that she was answering the same questions every day to different people. Hanabi was being a great help by taking the head of the questions. She knew that Hanabi would know most of what Hinata wanted, and she could change them if she needed to, but somehow people were still managing to find her. She was working with Naruto day in and day out, honing his speaking skills, his knowledge on law, who people were, the process on making decisions that she has, just anything she could think of, she was trying to teach to him.

Add it on top of the everyday things she had to do, ceremonies to attend, papers to overlook and sign, projects to follow up on, it felt like she was being consumed by anything and everything.

It was almost midnight and she was still awake, the windows of her room open, and the small light at her desk was still on. A child had written to her, asking for help for their farm in a city a while away from here. They couldn't afford to travel all the way to the capital, so the child decided to write a letter, hoping it would do something.

She was trying to read through it without getting distracted by the pile of other letters she had to read tonight. They were all addressed to her specifically, so she made it a point to open and read them all personally. Every so often she wondered if she didn't put all these self-morals on her, her life wouldn't be as busy. Maybe they'll start addressing them to her and Naruto in the future, and he can go through them too.

Next letter, a family sending their congratulations for her and Naruto. She thought it was a lovely note, and wrote a reminder to show him later.

Her eyes slowly started to shake as she continued reading them, not wanting to focus. Her body wanted to sleep, but her will wanted to read. She knew her father always designated someone else to read any letter addressed for him, but she just couldn't help but read them personally. Someone took the time to write her, it must be important.

Her mind wandered back to her father, something that happens when she's up late. She was proud of what she had accomplished on her own, she was happy for herself that she had found someone who cared for her as much as he does, but still, there wasn't someone there anymore to tell her good job, to say she was doing fine, to point her in the right direction, nothing.

She didn't know if he would approve of anything she was doing.

She leaned back in her chair with a sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. She could feel the sweat of her face. She had been up since five thirty this morning.

She desperately wanted a bath. A nice, relaxing bath sounded like the best thing for her right now. Her muscles ached from not having proper rest, and there was ink from writing all day on her hands.

She eyed the small rope that was next to her bed. It was connected through the wall and eventually lead to the nurses' cabinet. If she pulled it, a bell would ring for them to come and see what she needed. They could start the bath for her. Her eyes trailed towards the clock in the room, noticing the time. Her shoulders slumped.

"I don't want to bother them this late…" she muttered, decided to do it herself.

She slowly pushed herself away from her desk, promising to finish the rest of the letters tomorrow. But for now, they would have to wait. She debated putting on her shoes for the walk down to the bath hall, but she didn't want to wake anyone up with the noise, so she decided to go barefoot. She was tempted to throw on those pants she took from Naruto a while back, but decided against it. If anyone saw her in them surely, it'd look bad.

She decided that she wanted to use the bath hall. She didn't have to fill it or anything, it was there, ready to use when she wanted. It was a bit big for her taste, but she didn't think it would bother her too much.

She started down the hallway, already feeling better at the thought of a bath. The warm carpet under her feet tickled ever so slightly as she walked, making sure to be quiet. The floor underneath the carpet could squeak rather loudly if it wanted to.

She passed by Naruto's room, stopping just for a moment, wondering if he was asleep. She thought about knocking, but figured she didn't want to wake him in case he was asleep. She about started on her way again when she heard him talking.

She couldn't quite figure out what he was saying, but it sounded like the speeches she told him to work on. They were ones her father had said in the past, and she only asked him to just to get him in the mindset of what is expected from him when he spoke to others. She didn't think he would be practicing them, especially this late at night.

She heard him sigh. His footsteps grew louder, and Hinata thought he was about to leave his room, so she stepped back, but instead it sounded like he sat down.

' _He probably sat at his desk…'_ she thought, remembering that it was next to the door.

"I don't think I can do this…" he said clearly. Being closer to the door, Hinata could hear him better.

She stayed there, listening to him run through them again and again, changing his delivery every time, trying to make it sound natural. She wondered if it was just because he didn't write it that he was having such issues, since when he spoke to her it was always sincere.

"You have to get it right… it has to sound natural." He spoke again. Hinata wondered if he was speaking to the stuffed rabbit that Hanabi gave him to use as an audience, or if he was talking to himself.

She felt bad for eavesdropping, she really did, but she was worried that he had spent the last few night like this, over-working himself on the things she was teaching him. It wasn't healthy.

Of course, she couldn't say much about herself.

She heard him go through it one more time, and near the end, he stuttered. After the stutter was complete silence, not I word from him. She wondered if he had just given up for the night and gone to bed.

She slowly moved away from the door, heading down to the bath hall. She made a reminder to talk to him about it later, making sure that he didn't have to stay up late like this.

"I can't… I just can't." she finally heard. She was about to turn on her way before she caught his voice.

She hadn't heard it very clear, but she knew what he said. She could feel his words hit through her. She knew it'd be tough for him to memorize everything and get to a point where he would be as confident as she was in her actions. Maybe she was overwhelming him, maybe she needed to slow down, or have him take a break from it all.

She thought for just a moment back to the town they had visited just a few weeks ago, if they had lived somewhere like that, grew up together in a place like that, she wondered how happy he'd be, how happy she'd be.

She shook the thought, not wanting to dwell on it. She took a step to start walking again when the door opened.

Naruto jerked back in surprise at her presence, and Hinata froze like a deer. They stared at each other, not expecting see either one this late. He was in a new pair of sweatpants, and a plain white undershirt. Definitely not expecting guests. Hinata, in her own night-dress could say the same.

"H-Hinata… evening." He said, not sure what else to say.

"Same to you" to replied.

Naruto scratched the side of his face, looking away from her.

"How long have you been there?" he asked sheepishly.

"Oh…" Hinata thought it good to lie. "Just… a while."

She couldn't bring herself to do it.

"Ah, I see..." He muttered, wanting to turn back into his room and not have to look at her. He felt completely embarrassed that she overheard him practicing.

Hinata started to worry about him. He looked completely pitiful, but she knew he shouldn't be. She wasn't expecting him to take everything she said and do it perfectly the next day.

"I'm sorry…" she told him, walking against the wall. She slid down it, sitting up against it.

"Sorry?" he asked, confused. "What do you have to be sorry for?" he crouched down next to her.

"For being me." she sighed.

Naruto was even more confused.

"I don't understand, why are you sorry about being you?"

"Because… if I wasn't me, I wouldn't have to put you through all this. We could live like a normal couple and enjoy life. Instead, it feels like I must force this lifestyle on you that-" She tried to explain, but nothing just seemed to come out right.

"Wait, hold on, Hinata I chose this, remember? You didn't force me to do anything. Remember when after we got back from the Wind country after we got stranded? I wanted to come and be with you still, after all that was done. I made an audience just to talk like we did. If I didn't choose this for myself, I would have never done that." He explained, causing her to remember how different he was, they both were, back just six months or so ago. Hinata let out a small chuckle at the memory.

"I had to tell you to bow…" she remembered.

"Mhm, and how you showed me around everywhere, and we sat on that balcony for forever just watching the city?" he kept going, putting his arm around her. She leaned into his chest.

"Yeah, I remember."

He put his head against the back of the wall.

"From that point on I knew what I'd have to do to win you over. And it seemed to work." He joked, causing Hinata to laugh.

Hinata closed her eyes while she was resting against his chest. She felt his heartbeat next to her ear, enjoying the rhythmic lullaby.

"I'm glad you chose this." She whispered softly. Naruto brushed her hair with his hand.

"I would have regretted it if I didn't." he followed up.

They sat there for a moment, completely unaware of their surroundings. It wasn't until the clock started chiming midnight that either one of them spoke.

"It's rather late…" she commented on the chimes.

"Yeah… Hey, why we're you out here in the first place?" he asked her, completely forgetting that this interaction wasn't planned.

"Oh! I was going to take a bath." She remembered, slowly getting to her feet. "Which I still would like to do…" she said mostly to herself.

"Really? I was going to take one. That's why I leaving. I thought it'd be nice to relax." He told her, getting up off the ground as well.

"What a coincidence…" she commented. There were plenty of smaller bathrooms to use, most we're connected to the bedrooms of the castle, but the bath hall was different. It was meant for relaxing and enjoying yourself. It leads outside to a small gardened area, and it was roughly the size of Naruto's bedroom, always filled with water.

The only issue is that if he was leaving to take a bath, he must have wanted to go to the same place, which would be fine, but there wasn't a divide or anything, just one big bath.

Naruto knew this as well.

"You can go first, I don't mind waiting." He told her.

Hinata breathed in.

She felt conflicted. She wanted to take a bath, and a bath with him sounded like a dream, but at the same time she didn't know if that's wat he wanted. The thought crossed her mind that this man was going to be her husband, it was bound to happen anyway. She felt embarrassed just thinking about it.

She thought she was being selfish.

"No… you can come to." She said, not looking at him. She could see his eyes widen just slightly at her words. "I mean, I-if you want to, that is." She finished the statement. Her face was red enough to make a cherry jealous, but her volume never wavered.

"Ah… yeah, sounds fun." He answered, more surprised by what she said than anything. If he could see his own face his could rival hers in terms of being a cherry.

"Thank you." She said, bowing slightly, not sure what else to say in the situation.

She turned to face down the hall, and off they went.

….

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you tell im in the midst of planning my own wedding? Im about to drive myself insane… but
> 
> OOOOOOO smut chapter next chapter! Im excited, I always enjoy writing good smut, reading good smut, its ust good overall.
> 
> Also I want to comment on something that a reviewer said while im thinking about it and that was they said hat my characters are believable and I want to say thank you! Its easy to write character interaction with ones that aren't in love with each other, because they follow character, but its hard writing characters that are in love because love itself is something that's so unpredictable and unexpected and can be fast or slow or WHATEVER it wants to be, which is just CRAZY when you try to put it in words.
> 
> Anyway, next chapter and the chapter after it come out the SAME DAY! When that day is? I dunno have a math test to take in two days so don't blame me if I don't get it done until Monday…


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *blows whistle* HEY. THIS CHAPTER CONTAIN SEX. JUST A PSA
> 
> Keep in mind that if you choose to skip this chapter, you will miss no plot development or anything like that, just know that these two do have sex. (Not that it matters for this arc but whatever)
> 
> Also butt, boob, tit, and nipple are all very awkward words to me, but ass is totally fine. They just seem like… middle schooly. But butt doesn't have a better term aside from ass. Like you got.. booty, buttocks, and the controversial badonkadonk, but none of them just feel as right as 'ass' idk im rambling ignore these

They both had yet to look at each other. They stripped down facing away from one another, he left the small changing area before her, and they had their backs against each other, sitting in the hot water. The steam surrounded both of them, and the calm lapping of the waves stimulated their senses. There was a ledge that surrounded the wall of the bath, used for sitting and relaxing while in it.

Hinata had her legs pulled into her chest, sitting with her body across that ledge. Naruto had to have been doing something similar, but their backs were to each other, so she couldn't really tell. She could feel the muscles of his back move whenever he did, even just the slight movements she could feel.

Hinata folded her arms over her knees that poked out of the water, resting her head in the small indent she had made. Her hair was pulled up and off her neck. The air hitting it, while still steamy and hot, was refreshing.

She sighed happily.

He was enjoying a similar feeling. The warmth of the water felt like it was loosening his muscles, and making him not as tense, and more relaxed. He was glad he decided to take a bath, especially since she was here too.

He could feel her spine against his back, and it was an enthralling feeling, to be able to feel another person so close to yourself, nothing in between you but drops of water.

He could only wonder what the rest of her felt like.

He snapped the thought out of his head, focusing on the water in front of him instead, and how it moved, no real reason why.

"This is so nice…" Hinata confessed with a laugh. Naruto couldn't help but agree.

"Yeah, I think we both needed a nice bath." He agreed, stretching his back.

He was starting to get hot from the water. Typically, when that happened it was his sign top leave the bath, but he knew there was no way he was going to leave her, they had just gotten here. He always hated that about himself, he loved taking baths and being in water, but he never could bring himself to stay in long enough to enjoy it.

He turned towards the inside of the water, spreading his arms out along the edge of the pool. The air hit his upper chest and arms, cooling him off.

"That's better…" he commented, rolling his head back. He shifted his eyes to Hinata, who had most of her body submerged, almost to her neck. Her face was red, and her eyes seemed to be staring at him.

"W-what?"

"Ah, nothing!" she answered rather hurried, turning her head in a different direction.

Naruto shifted his eyes towards where she was looking and, once knowing there really wasn't anything over there, he went back to her.

He then noticed the two feet of space between them.

"You know… you don't have to sit so far away- if you don't want to, that is." He reminded. In reality he just missed the feeling of her back, her skin against his.

Hinata still didn't look at him, but she did shift closer, moving in towards him. She nuzzled against where his shoulder met his chest, one of her favorite places to be. She leaned her shoulder into him, propping her side into his own. She felt her hair stand on end as her body went against his, and she wondered if he felt the same thing.

And he did.

The feeling went up his spine, making him want to shudder. He held it in, and instead slowly put his hand on Hinata's shoulder, like he normally does when she leans against him. It crossed his mind that this was her actually body, no sort of layer in between them. He kissed her head, like he always did. His eyes looked down to watch for her cheeks to raise. They always did when he kissed her, since she always smiled.

He did see her cheeks raise like normal, but his eyes also caught something else.

Her chest was being pushed up by the water, and while not completely exposed, there was still plenty of it there to be seen.

He snapped his head away, not wanting to stare. He let out a hard breath through his nose, not trying to think about it. He just wanted to enjoy a bath with her.

"W-what? Is everything okay?" Hinata asked, obviously worried from his sudden movement and harsh breathing.

"Y-yeah. I'm fine." He lied.

Hinata was trying to lean forward to see his face, since he was turned away from her, but couldn't stretch far enough. She mentally sighed, returning to her spot against him.

He slowly turned his head back to where it was naturally, breathing deep to calm down.

Hinata turned her head towards him.

"Why'd you agree to come with me?" she asked him.

He smiled, easily answering. "I always want to spend time with you, no matter where it is." He answered, not looking back down at her. He did have a small laugh. "I mean, wherever you asked me to go, I can't think of a place that I wouldn't follow." He added,

Hinata smiled, resting her head firmer on his bare chest. She could hear his heartbeat.

"My turn to ask a question." He said in a content tone. Hinata had closed her eyes, still resting against him.

"Okay." She agreed.

"Why'd you ask me to come?" he asked coyly.

Hinata opened her eyes, trying to find an answer.

"Ah, well I don't know I just thought it'd be… nice and we could enjoy it and ah…. Just be together like you said! You know? Uh…" she started out, not really having a definite answer for him.

He couldn't help but laugh at how unprepared she was. She stopped her explanation when he did, turning her head curiously. Why was he laughing?

He ducked his head down towards her.

"You're too cute when surprised." He commented. He gave her a kiss, just a small one. He moved his head back, wanting to cut it off there.

But she didn't.

As soon as he pulled away, she kissed him again, more forcefully this time. He was in complete shock, not expecting it, but he didn't mind in the slightest. She moved her hand behind his neck, pushing further into him. He was surprised at how passionate she was being. His hand went to the side of her face, supporting her in whatever endeavor she was embarking on. She broke the kiss for only a short moment to breathe. She turned her head to the side and came back in.

Naruto kept noticing how close her body was getting to his own, her leg was already next to his, and she kept leaning in closer to him. She didn't seem to want to stop whatever she was doing, and honestly, he didn't want her to either.

Her tongue grazed his lips, wanting more. He happily obliged to her request. Their tongues met, fighting for room in each other. She pulled away for just a moment, leaving with the slightest bite on his lips.

It drove him crazy.

He went back at her, breathing in heavily. Both of his hands were on her, one was around her neck, just like hers was on his own, and the other was wrapped from the side to the back of her head. He had wrapped his fingers into the confinement's f her hair, pulling a few strands loose from its binding.

Then he felt it, her chest graze against his own. He almost jumped at the feeling, just the softness of her own full chest against the toned and hardness of his. He craved that feeling the moment it left.

Hinata, on the other hand, seemed to be brought back into reality at the feeling, or at least wasn't expecting it.

She pulled away with a small yelp, turning her head away from his. Her hand was on her mouth, the other was on her chest. Naruto stared at her in confusion. He thought she was enjoying it, why'd she pull away?

"Wh-"

"I'm sorry, I didn't… I wasn't thinking." She confessed, still not looking at him. "I was just… in the moment."

"Sorry? Why are you sorry?" he asked her, coming to her side.

"I just, I'm sure you wanted to enjoy your bath and relax, but it just felt right." She continued.

Naruto ducked into the water more, closing the gap between him and her.

"It did feel right." He repeated, loud enough for just her to hear.

She turned her face back towards his own, not realizing how close he was.

"You think so?" she asked, getting closer herself.

"Yeah…" he answered, close enough for their foreheads to touch.

They both stared into each other, almost like playing a game of which one of them would move first. His eyes were darker, more shaded, with blue that seemed to pierce through her. Her own had a different effect on him. They we're always so caring and curious, completely pale and glistening, almost like pearls did. They made his heart beat faster, just looking into them. They had since the first time they met. This time wasn't any different.

Neither one ended up winning the game between them. They both moved at the same time, closing the space in between each other in an instant. Her arms wrapped around his neck, grabbing at the blonde on his head. One of his wrapped around her lower back, the other under her arm to grab the base of her neck.

He couldn't get over the smoothness f her skin, like silk under his fingers. Her gasps for breath against his lips we're like music to him. He could feel her chest rise and fall as she breathed. He slowly started moving towards the ledge closest to him. He rested on it, and- like she was acting on instinct- she maneuvered herself onto his lap, her knees on the ledge. She was taller than him like this, with all her back out of the water. Their kiss never ended, only small hesitations happened so they could breathe.

Naruto grabbed at the back of her thigh. He did it to make sure she didn't slide off. But also, damn, did it not feel great to just hold her on top of him.

She breathed in fast through her teeth at his hand on her leg, biting down on his lip. His other hand ran up her side, causing her to shiver. He rested it against the side of her breast, and she let out a small moan, only encouraging him more.

He massaged slowly, amazed at the feeling. She let out small moans, almost like whimpers, as he kept going. His other hand slowly moved away from her thigh, treading carefully around the roundness of her ass.

She finally broke off from the kiss, leaning her head back in pleasure, letting out breathier sounds than normal. With her head back, Naruto was able to see her chest fully. His hand embraced the entirety or her right breast, or what he could fit of it in his hand. He was squeezing and pushing and pulling it, somewhat for curiosity, the rest to see her reaction. He moved his mouth towards her collar bone, trailing a kiss all the way down her left one, breathing heavily on her pink nipple. He watched her squirm lower onto him as he put it in her mouth. He didn't do anything more than that and she had let out the lowest moan she had so far.

He suckled her, enjoying her movements. The way her body would roll as he did things made him feel like he could do anything. His other hand was still gripped firmly on her as he continued, forming an idea. He took one in between his teeth, and the other in between his fingers, and pinched both of her nipples at the same time.

She moaned loudly at his actions, arching her back. He kept it, watching her breathing turn into panting as he continued. She wrapped her arms around his head, digging into his should. He pinched harder, taking his free hand and wrapping it around her waist. She leaned her head on top of his, resting it there for support as he played with her.

He let go of both of her breast at the same time, letting them take a break from his presence. They moved with her heavy breathing, and he enjoyed watching them.

"Ha…" she sounded, sinking down. It was like her body had collapsed against his own. He breathed in sharply as her torso rubbed against him. He didn't know if she did it on accident, or if it was on purpose that she rubbed his dick or not, but the feeling was so euphoric it almost hurt.

He made a noise similar to hers, and she jerked up off him, not realizing what she did.

"Sorry! A-are you okay?" she asked, floating a bit farther away from him, giving him space.

"Yeah, it just… unexpected…" he breathed out. He didn't quite understand why it affected him so much, but he blamed it on that. "Now… where were we?"

He raised himself up, walking through the heavy water. His waist down still submerged. He let her fall into his arms as he saw a smile cross her face. They came back together again with a kiss, a smooth one at first, before it blossomed into a passionate display. He backed her up, kept going and going until she almost tripped over the ledge that was behind her calves.

He broke the kiss.

"What do you want to do?" he asked coyly.

Hinata took a moment to breath.

"Outside, it's… its hot in here." She told him, and he happily obliged to her wish.

The outside area of the large bath was much smaller, maybe only the size of her bed- even thought that was bigger than most. The entire area was surrounded by plants, with a walkway lined with small lights around the rectangular area. It was secluded and reserved. The crisp air of the spring night felt wonderful against their exposed skin, making them stay even closer together. Naruto, leading her back, laid her against the end of the pool, facing towards the opening that lead outside. Her body was floating upwards ever so slightly, causing her chest to stick above the water, as well as her knees.

His hands kept maneuvering along her body, touching every surface they could find, taking it all in. her hips were his favorite so far. They fit perfectly in his hands, and they flared out just the right amount for him to be able to grab them smoothly.

His mouth moved from her own back to her breasts, wanting more from earlier. He kept watch between her and the faces she was making, and the water. Her face that always was so confident and powerful, that he had seen in some of the worst situations, was completely at his will. Her eyebrows made it seem like she was in pain, but the noises she made, the moans that came deep within her throat, they were what his goal was, to watch as those escaped her.

The water, on the other hand, he watched as it moved and splashed against her, the small spasm that her chest had as he worked caused it to react and hit against anything it could find.

One hand he kept around her shoulders, almost like he was cradling her. The other was getting bored of her hips, wanting to find somewhere else to explore. He slowly moved his hand down her thigh, then back up, repeating the motion, slowly getting closer and closer inward to her body.

He could tell it was driving her mad, her body would tense up as he went up her thigh, and then release as he went back down with a small look of disappointment on her face.

He did one last circle along her thigh, hesitating next to his destination. He lifted his head from her chest, wanting to look at her.

"If you're uncomfortable, let me know, okay?" he wanted to remind her.

She was still breathing heavy, but nodded her head in agreement. That's what he needed.

Ever so carefully, his fingers grazed her opening. Her legs twitched at the touch, her knees bending together. He slowly dove in deeper, massaging her.

The moans came back full force, louder and longer than before. She moved her hips in rhythm with his movements as they circled her most sensitive area. She ached for his touch. She never felt enjoyment like this before, and everything was distracting her mind from everything else except for him.

His index finger grazed her clit, just enough for her to taste it and cry for more. Hinata let out a sharp moan as she felt it, arching her back forward. His eyes never left her face, they were locked on her, while his mouth went back to her breast. He slowly dragged his fingers down her opening, stopping to where his thumb was on her clit. He let it stay there, circling her, watching as she squirmed and jerked at his actions. He didn't put much pressure on her, just enough for her to actually feel him, but she was already excited to this level.

"Haa… Hng… Ah…" she reacted with every movement, her voice almost sounding raspy.

She could feel her heart racing with his touch, and if she could she wished to do the same for him, but she couldn't think straight to even try. She was completely lost in him, melting into is hands, craving more of what only he could give her.

He started pressing harder against her clit, massaging faster. His thumb stayed focused there, while his other fingers continued on. Even though she was underwater he could feel the difference in the wetness around her. The slick feeling under his fingers only made him more enticed with what was yet to come. She moved her hips towards his hand, asking for more. He could see her hot breath as it left her mouth to meet the crisp air. He didn't know if it was sweat or water that started to trickle down her face, and her face was fully pink as she bit her lip, trying to hold in her moans.

While the area was secluded, it was in no way sound proof.

She cried out as she felt his fingers circling at her entrance, teasing her. She wondered if he liked doing this to her, teasing her that is. The thought was cut short as slowly slid one finger inside her, letting her get used to the feeling.

Her moan was like thunder as it vibrated through her throat. He wanted to kiss her, to be able to hold that moan on his own lips, but he was too fascinated by her body to stop observing her. She bit down on her lip as he started moving in an out of her, and she saw her arm reach for her chest. Her body sunk lower into the water, letting her legs rise up. He increased his pace, enthralled with the movement of her breasts, up and down, in rhythm with what he was doing. She moved her hips into him, diving his finger only deeper into her.

Two fingers.

She wanted to pass out because it felt so good. It wasn't painful, not in the slightest. It was relaxing, euphoric, and felt like it was leading to something. She looked over at him, her eyes foggy rom the steam and everything else. His eyes were dead locked on hers, displaying an emotion she had never seen from him before; lust.

She reached a hand out for his arm, just wanting something to hold onto as he continued to please her.

"N-Na…Naruto…" she whimpered.

When he heard his name come out of her lips, he couldn't resist but to want to kiss her again. There was no hesitation, no warning, and nothing sweet about it, it was full on desire. He ached to be surround by her, holding it off for his own selfish reasons of just watching her in pleasure.

Hinata broke away for just a moment to breathe right after he kissed her, breathing in the chilled air. His tongue fought against hers, suckled her lips, and trailed down her neck. He kissed along her neck, forgetting the time around them as he kept moving his fingers in and out of her, becoming more fierce and rough as they went on. She was grabbing at his back, hanging on to him. She had dug her nails into his skin, making small scratches against him. Her legs were twitching in the water, splashing it around them. The hairs that had fallen from atop her head were sticking to her face and her neck. She wanted to live in this moment for as long as she could.

"S… Ta?"

Both Hinata and Naruto paused their movements at the noise. It sounded like someone was coming. Naruto kept his back to the opening of the bath, while Hinata tried the best she could to find the source of the noise.

"Miss Hinata?" they both heard clearer this time. It was a woman's voice.

"S-Someone's coming!" Hinata whispered to him, panicked.

Naruto started to think, trying to figure out an excuse or a plan to hide or something. His mind wasn't thinking as straight as it could be. He asked Hinata

"What do you want to do?"

"Miss Hinata, is that you?" the voice called again, louder than before.

Hinata darted her vision between the surroundings trying to think of something.

"H-how long can you hold your breath?" she asked him seriously.

"I-my breath?"

The nursemaid turned the corner of the bath hall, staring into the outside area.

"Ah, Miss Hinata, are you alright? I could have sworn I heard two people up here." She commented, relieved that there wasn't a commotion.

"A-ah no, just me!" Hinata answered, trying to hide the fact that Naruto was hiding under the water next to her. She was thankful it was nighttime and steamy, else this might not have worked. Her hand was on his head, keeping under as much as she could.

"Are you alright? You seem out of it. It is late, shouldn't you be in bed?" she asked, approaching just a bit closer.

"Oh, I'm fine… just a late night bath to rela…x" she tried to hide the fact that Naruto was rubbing his hand along her thing, getting closer and closer to where he just was.

"Do you want me to wait and escort you back to your room?" She asked, holding her night robe closer to her body.

"No!" She said a bit louder than was needed, talking to not just the nursemaid.

"Oh… alright." She spoke hesitantly. "Well, goodnight." She turned and walked around the corner slowly. Hinata gave her a few more seconds before she let Naruto out of the water.

He popped up with a gasp, shaking his hair out. Hinata gave him a glare, but couldn't help but smile as he smiled at her, knowing she would be mad at him.

He came closer to her, and Hinata could see that look coming back in his eyes, that lustful look he had.

"Why don't we go somewhere more… private?"

…

He knocked her back on the bed, surrounding her with his arms. The duvet of the bed surrounded them as they sank into it. They had both put on some sense of clothing for their way back to Hinata's bedroom, but it was on the floor as soon they closed the door. They took a moment to look at each other. Her hair was still a mess on top of her head, and his was still wet form before, dripping small drops on her. He watched them glisten as they rolled down her neck.

She was the one to smile at him.

"Where were we?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

He chortled at how coy her question was.

"Somewhere around here?" he questioned, slowly dragging his hand down her stomach, inching towards her pussy.

She moaned sharply as he rested his hand against her before he started back where they left off. Two of his fingers dipped into her. His other hand was grabbing at her gathering of hair, and his lips stayed a mere inch away from hers, feeling her breath hit him.

She was driving him crazy. The moonlight filtered against her skin made her almost seem glowing. The pearls of her eyes glistened with pleasure, and her hair, while messy, shone brightly where the light hit it. Every moan she made, knowing that he was doing it to her, made him lust for her even more. He was so tempted to just go all out, but continued focusing on her.

He sped up the pace of his hand, feeling the heat of her against him, and how wet his hand was becoming. His own heart raced.

She kept saying his name, only encouraging him to keep going. She would breathe in sharply, moan out her breath, and then say so syllable of his name before it started over, gradually getting louder as he continued.

She twisted herself underneath him, tossing and turning at his work. His mouth went back to her neck, wanting to devour it. He took his hand away from her hair and starting tracing around her breast, skidding his fingers, barely touching her. He maneuvered his other hand to where his index and ring finger were inside her, and his thumb was able to barely reach her clit.

He was driving her insane at his touch, completely in control of her. Her hands were digging into his back again, her own was arched away from the bed. Her legs were wrapped around the calf of his right leg, squeezing tighter as her continued to be inside her. With every movement she felt more pleasure, more love, than before. Her moans echoed throughout her room. She was consistently vocal, hearing her voice shake in time with his hand. Naruto's lips lifted off her neck for just a moment.

"Your voice is making me crazy…" he told her.

That was the final push she needed. Her eyes snapped tight, her senses being completely lost aside from the feeling that radiated in her. Her body convulsed under his own. He never stopped his actions, but let them ride out with her climax. She was biting down on her lip, knowing if she didn't she would surely wake someone else up. The moans of ecstasy that could be heard from here with her mouth closed were just as loud as they were without. Her body convulsed with the waves of pleasure that was surrounding her. Her chest bounced with her convulsions, following the motions of her sporadic breathing. She had never felt so… euphoric, so warm, so satisfied.

She wanted more.

Naruto slowed down his movements as she came down from her high. Her breathing returned to normal, and her grip on his back loosened. She fell back into the bed.

Naruto gave her a vigorous smile as her senses came back.

"You seemed to like that."

Hinata put a hand over her face to cover it, feeling embarrassed as he looked at her.

"O-of course I did." She agreed.

Naruto laughed with a small smirk, climbing on top of her completely. His arms on both sides of her head, and his lower legs on the outside of her own. She moved one of her hands around his neck, the other rested on his bicep. His muscle was prominent, holding up his body on top of hers. If his body was relaxed, you wouldn't really tell that he had so much of it, but in this moment where she could feel his muscles under his skin, how strong he was- it only made her want more.

Naruto leaned down next to her ear.

"You want to do this?" he whispered. Hinata could feel the lust in his voice, causing a rush through her.

"Please…" she begged.

That was just about the best answer she could have given him. He wanted this so bad, and to have her ask for it? It was an emotion he couldn't describe. He sat up on his knees, moving further down her.

She breathed slowly, trying to calm herself. She was excited, curious, wanting, and yet nervous still. He couldn't say much different. He lined himself up with her, pausing for a just a moment to take a breath.

The feeling she had was pure euphoria as he entered her. IT was completely different from his hand. The feeling was much more filling, with every surface inside her being stimulated. She squeezed his arm not even a second in.

"O-one… Moment…" She whimpered. She wanted to savor this moment, keep it with her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, keeping him in her. She slowly released her grip on his arm, allowing him to continue.

He entered further, keeping his eyes on her. She was biting her lip again. He slid down her body to be next to her face. He kissed her as he put every inch of him inside. She winced slightly, feeling the smallest pain, but it went away just as fast as it came. The pleasure overruled it anyway.

He was breathing heavy now, underestimating just how good it would feel. Hinata put her hand on his chest, just wanting to touch him. Her hand was warm against him. This time he took a moment to live in the moment.

He pulled out of her, starting off slowly. As soon as his dick left her, he started missing the feeling, and went back in. He picked his pace for now, staying steady with it. His breathing was heavy and low, and his whole body moved along with it. Breathe in, pull out, breath out, and push back in. It was like a high.

He could feel Hinata's moans vibrate through her. He meant what he said earlier, she was driving him crazy, and this just added onto the list. He repositioned himself, grabbing her legs and hooking them in the crook of his arms, speeding up. Her moans went from low and deep to more like small shouts, in rhythm with him. She covered her mouth, knowing how loud she was being. He wished that she didn't have to, but he couldn't deny that it was loud.

He kept her legs in his arms, and grabbed her hips. He still loved her hips and their perfect shape for his hands. He used them to push deeper inside her. He grit his teeth at the feeling, stifling his own moans. He could feel how wet she was as he kept going in her. He could feel it start to even hit his thigh. He wanted more, craved more.

He went out of her, only for a moment. She didn't realize what had happened until she found herself on top of him. She was sitting on his stomach, crouched over next to his face. Both were breaking heavily onto each other. The sweat that was glistening on their faces cooled down with each breath. He ran his hand up her hair, knocking a few more strands loose. Right now it was probably more down than up, but neither of them cared enough to fix it.

"Get… on top of me." he told her. If it wasn't for his breathing, it would've sounded more commanding.

Hinata paused for a moment, looking to the side, then back to him with determination.

She did as he said, and nearly lost her composure. It was a completely different feeling, hitting her in the same places, but with different force, different pleasure. She didn't have much time to savor that feeling before he grabbed her hips again, bucking into her. She let out a yelp of surprise, not expecting it. He was rougher than before, more sporadic. He took her hips and ground her against him, while he pumped into her. It was raw and unrefined, but it felt so relieving for both of them.

He kept at it for as long as he could before felling at his limit. They way her hips felt in his hand, her chest jumping in rhythm in front of him, and the look of complete ecstasy was too much for him to handle. He slowed down, having her fall on top of him. He kissed her while he cooled down, keeping himself in her still.

"We should… do this every night…" he joked, pulling apart from her. Hinata let out a small laugh

"I don't… have the stamina… for this every night." She confessed.

He flipped her over onto her stomach on the bed, her elbows digging into sheets. He rotated around her, ready to continue.

He came in, just as fast as before. His hands around her hips, pushing her into him. This was her favorite position by far. He had so much control of her body like this, and he knew that. He was hitting her I all the right places, making her moan into the gathered fabric of the bed to muffle the sound.

He could feel her tightening around him, knowing she was about to climax again. He was making it hard on him to make sure she did, but he wasn't going to be defeated. His own vision was going blurry, but it only added to the pleasure he felt. He moved away from her hips and grabbed her ass, holding it as best he could in his hands.

She could feel it, she was so close to it, and just something needed to push her over. She ached for that released she had just known.

Then he did it, he moaned.

This entire time he had never truly moaned, hadn't given himself the opportunity to. He gritted his teeth, snapped his eyes closed, even gasped a few times, but nothing like the low, heavy, raspy tone that just left his mouth.

She couldn't help but cum to that sound.

Her legs shook, her breaths were short, and the feeling of ecstasy was plenty as it coursed through her. Her whole body rolled with them, her back rising and falling.

The convulsions around her squeezed down on him, and that was it, he climaxed with her. He had pulled out and came on her back. He felt like he was going to nearly pass out from the feeling. All his muscles twitching at different time, his senses draining, and his mind just completely blank. He didn't know how, but he somehow managed to get on his back, riding out the last of his orgasm.

He was at a loss for words at what transpired tonight. He woke up this morning not even knowing if he was going to see her today, and here he was, with her lying with him, naked, and they just had sex. He had no complaints about anything that happened. She was beautiful, amazing, loving, and incredibly hot.

Hinata climbed off the bed when she finally was able to sturdily walk. She grabbed the towel off the floor that they had taken back from the bath, wiping her back. He felt bad for not getting up and helping her, but he would just be fumbling around.

Hinata climbed back in the bed with him, not caring that he was sweaty, so was she. She nuzzled into her spot where his arm and chest met, sighing contently.

"What'd we just do…" she asked rhetorically.

She would have never imagined this happening today, more so on their wedding night. She wasn't disappointed by no means, and she didn't believe how much she had enjoyed it. She still couldn't believe that she was the one that started this, kissing him like she did. Maybe it was all the stress that had just been building up over the past months, maybe this was her outlet for that.

She just knew that she felt a lot better now than when she left to take her bath.

Naruto couldn't help but chuckle.

"Each other" he answered.

Hinata smiled and rolled her eyes at his joke, knowing it was true. She could feel the air start to chill her body. They weren't moving anymore, so their own body heat was calming down.

She sat up slowly, stretching her body.

"I wonder how late it is…" she mumbled, feeling a wave of exhaustion hit her.

"Late" he answered, still laying with his arms spread across her bed.

She crawled up to the top of it, dipping under the covers for warmth.

Naruto looked at her.

"Oh, yeah, we should probably go to bed." He reasoned, slowly rolling his own body up from the bed. He lifted himself up off the sheets, standing on the firm ground. Hinata watched curiously as he gathered what clothing he had in her room together.

"What are you doing?" she asked him, confused.

"Well, I can't walk back down the hall wearing nothing, ya know?" he reasoned.

"Oh," She responded. "I thought that, you know, you would sleep in here tonight." She told him rather sheepishly, wondering if she was wrong to think that.

She watched Naruto pause, staring over at her. He dropped his clothing and jumped back into the bed, almost like a kid would.

"Yes! I'd love to!" He told her excited. He stuffed himself under the blanket next to her, wrapping his arms around her waist. She was surprised at how fast he moved. "This is the best." He confessed to her. She giggled, turning in his arms to face him.

"I'm glad you think so."

He let out a content sigh, feeling completely relaxed. The feeling of Hinata against his bare skin was something he could look forward to for the rest of his life. He felt complete with her there.

"Goodnight 'Nata…" he yawned out.

She had never heard that before, Nata. No one ever abbreviated her name, and maybe he truly did say it all, but his yawn wouldn't allow it. She agreed he did it on purpose though, like a personal nickname. Something you only do for someone you loved. She smiled at the thought.

"Goodnight…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> JEeeeEEEEEZ this was way longer than I thought it was going to be… I thought I would have trouble writing a long smut thing but 6000+ words later, here we are, at the end.
> 
> Once again, if you skipped this chapter, no need to worry, nothing major happened, nothing to relate into the story here, just kind of a… get it out of my system thing. I dunno, don't worry about it.


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This got really long, really fast. I don't know how I went from writing like… 2,000 word chapters to over 5500 for every update…
> 
> Anyway, last chapter was the smut chapter, in case you got your notifications mixed up.

He hit the ground with a thud. He felt the sweat pooling on his face, under his clothes, everywhere. His breathing was harsh, completely out of breath. He had been up since the sun came out. The grass that was surrounding him tickled and scratched, but he didn't feel he could move from his spot, just too out of energy. He was in a clearing, not far from the castle. It didn't used to be a clearing until recently. He collapsed near the edge of it, near the trees.

" _ **You're getting better, totally different than the last time we fought." Kurama complimented, pleased with his work.**_

" _I'm glad you think so… because I feel like I'm going to kill myself doing this…" Naruto replied._

" _ **Ha, it'll take a lot more than that to kill you." He commented.**_

Naruto closed his eyes, taking in the scents of the morning. IT was still cool enough outside to enjoy the weather, but soon it'd start to get hot, and he didn't want to be outside for that. Or it may rain, he wouldn't mind that. It was the rainy season after all.

"I seem to have found you."

Naruto opened his eyes to see Hinata staring down at him, a smile on her face. She bent at her knees, taking a seat next to him in the grass.

"Hinata! I thought you had a meeting with Tsunade at ten?" He asked her as she sat, only following her with his eyes.

"Naruto, it's almost noon…" she told him, surprised he didn't know it was that late.

"Oh…Have I really been out here that long?" He asked, mainly to himself.

"I mean, you've been out here every day for the past week, you know. This also used to have trees everywhere at the start of the week…" She commented.

"True…"

He scooted back as best he could, laying his head on Hinata's lap. She played with his hair as he closed his eyes again, relaxing against her.

"Here, I brought you something." She told him, reaching around her. It was a canister.

"Is that water?" he asked hopefully.

"Mmhm." She answered, handing it to him.

He leaned forward, opening the canister. He let the top fall to the ground as he drank from it. He didn't stop until the whole thing was gone. He popped it away from his lips, refreshed.

"Ahh… That was great…" he acknowledged, putting the cap back on the bottle. He laid back down on her lap.

He laid there, happy as she stroked his hair. He always loved when she cared for him, doing small things like bringing him water. Maybe it was because he didn't get that sort of attention growing up, but he loved it now.

"Hey, Hinata?"

"Hm?" She acknowledged.

"What was she like, your mother?" He asked. For the longest time, he kept meaning to ask her, but it would just slip his mind, or just couldn't find a good time to ask.

Hinata slowed down her hand movements, and eventually stopped stroking his hair, leaving her hand there. Naruto looked at her face, and her eyes were closed with a small, pained smile on her lips.

"She was… what a mother should be. Kind, smart, beautiful, loving, and stern when she needed to be." She paused between every trait. "She had hair like mine, and the kind of laugh that made you laugh if you ever heard it." She reminisced.

She sighed

"She was a good mother." She admitted.

Naruto turned his head forward, staring off into the clearing.

"You miss her, huh?"

Hinata chortled before she answered.

"Yeah, I do."

Naruto hesitated asking, but all he knew is what year she died in, nothing else. He wanted to know, but didn't want to bring up something she didn't want to talk about.

He took the risk.

"How'd… she die? If you don't mind me asking."

Hinata had that worried look on her face. Hey eyes were narrow and her eyebrows were low. The corners of her mouth stretch just a hint to each side.

She took a deep breath.

"She was murdered, in a way." She confessed.

Naruto sat up from her lap, completely shocked by her answer. No history book or anyone ever talked about how she died. To cover up something like that was unheard of.

"What?! Murdered?!" her reacted, raising himself to her eye level.

"I-I mean, she wasn't the initial target, its just…" She sighed again. "From the beginning. You remember the night we met, when I was taken from the castle and some guy was trading me over to someone else?" she asked, wanting to get her dates right with him.

"Of course I do, how can I forget?" He told her.

"It was that night." She spoke quietly.

' _No way… that's terrible...'_ he thought as his eyes widened.

"There was a group of people that just stormed the castle. Later questioning revealed that they only did it as a diversion, since their main goal was either me, or Hanabi." She started. "Hanabi was only two at the time, and mother went to her to make sure she was safe… she was always so protective. Father was going to find me, and left her with Hanabi."

He could see her eyes grow cold.

"Someone killed her that night. One of the guards stopped him from taking Hanabi, but couldn't make it in time to save her."

Naruto felt like her wanted to cry just hearing everything. He never knew, he couldn't have known. He just assumed she had died from an illness, not anything like that. But Hinata didn't cry, she just stared.

"A-and you…" he instinctively asked.

"I… I didn't know what happened until I had returned. I had slept for two full days before anyone told me what happened. I-I had to ask them where my mother was, since she hadn't come to see me at all, and everyone just had this… this look on their face, like they just couldn't tell me the truth."

He could see her eyes gloss over. He was amazed she had made it this long without shedding any tear while talking to him.

He put a hand on her shoulder, moving his head next to hers.

"I'm sorry that happened, I really am. If I'd have known, I would have never asked…" he admitted, feeling terrible for asking in the first place.

She exhaled, wiping her face on her sleeve.

"It's okay, I'm sure you would have found out eventually, and I'd rather it be from me." she reasoned. A lot of older soldiers knew the story, but they never wanted to say it. There's only rumors now. Murmurs and whispers as to what happened to her.

She changed her demeanor, showing a smile on her face. Naruto knew she was about to change the subject.

"What about your mother?" she asked in a happier tone than she had previously been talking with.

Naruto moved his head back at the question, surprised by it. No one ever asked him those questions.

"Hinata, I never knew either of my parents, you know that." He reminded her, not sure why she would even ask.

"I know, but… do you not even know who either of them were? No pictures or stories you were ever told?" she asked a bit slower.

Naruto shook his head.

"Never knew. For a long time, I hated 'em anyway, not caring to know who they were. But that was a long time ago and I just never bothered. It wouldn't change the fact that I don't have them anyway." He shrugged, not thinking it was a big deal.

Hinata, on the other hand, thought it was a big deal.

'Why didn't you tell me?! We're sure to have some sort of record on someone that must be related to you! I mean, what if they're alive?" She exclaimed, getting up off the ground.

Naruto didn't seem as excited for this as she thought he would be. He sat there with his legs crossed on the ground, staring at the grass.

"Naruto?" she asked cautiously.

"If they're alive, then they abandoned me. Why would I want to know that?" he muttered faintly to where Hinata could barely hear him.

Hinata sighed, bending over to him.

"What if you were taken from them? And they've been looking for you for years? Or what if they just couldn't afford to take care of you, thinking you would have a better life with a different family? They didn't know you'd be such a troublemaker and get kicked out of the orphanage, would they?" she kept asking him hypotheticals.

He sighed, falling onto his back in defeat.

"Okay, you win."

…..

They we're in the back of Tsunade's office on the training grounds. In the back was a folder they had on every soldier that they had ever recruited, even if they never made it out of training- for any reason. It was lit with a row of lights on the low ceiling, and everything was alphabetized. These files had the most detailed records of citizens, then after that were the crime records, and after that they had applications for citizenship from other countries. They had spent most of the day going through those already, since they were located inside the castle. This was their last chance to find something, and if they didn't she would have to admit defeat in that there really wasn't any information about his family.

Only two people had the keys to unlock the door to this room, Hinata and Tsunade. Tsunade was standing in the doorway, watching them as they went through the files.

"Hinata I told you that I already looked next to my name when I was in here looking at Sasuke's files." He told her, trying to save her time in looking.

"You did what?! How did you get in here without me knowing?" Tsunade yelled at him. Naruto forgot he didn't tell Tsunade the day he took her keys from her.

"Ah… nothing, nothing." He told her with a wave of his hand, acting like he did nothing wrong.

Tsunade glared at him.

Hinata huffed. "Well, I can't say that you're wrong, you're the only Uzumaki listed here."

"See, I told you." He did tell her. "Anyway, it's getting close to dinner, right? We should head back."

Tsunade put a finger to her chin, thinking.

"You know, before you leave, I think you might want to look at the fourth's folder. The State Military Commander before me." she suggested to them.

Hinata turned her head to the side.

"Why?" she asked curiously.

Naruto knew immediately why she suggested it.

"He died sealing Kurama in me, is that why?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Look, there might be some sort of documentation that's in there about you or why he chose you, something to help you." She reasoned.

Those files, the ones on the most important people that walked through the castle, were kept under a different lock and key. Hinata had one, Tsunade had one, and soon even Naruto would have his moved there in a matter of months.

Hinata stood up from crouching next to the U's. She walked over to the end of the hallway where there was a cabinet that was made completely of metal, with two separate locks on it. Only one person had the key to these, and that was Hinata.

She cautiously opened the door, watching the dust fly out. No one ever had a reason to be in this cabinet, unless they were stealing information.

Or they were trying to find information, like she was.

She sifted through the small envelopes, looking at the names that were labelled on the tags, and their titles. Hinata saw hers, Tsunade's, and Hanabi's, all of which were in the front. They should be the only three that were still alive who were listed in here.

She pulled out one.

' _Namikaze…'_ she read to herself. Personally, she had never met him. He died a few months before she was born. She didn't really know what he looked like either, not having access to here until recently.

She opened the file and just stared. She didn't move, she didn't read, and she just stared.

Naruto thought she went a long time without saying anything, without flipping through the pages that were in the folder.

She saw her hand cover her mouth.

He slowly walked over to her, not knowing what she just happened upon.

"Hinata… you okay?" he asked her cautiously as he kept moving towards her. She still didn't say anything until he was next to her shoulder. She shook her head, looking at the picture of him.

"You look… just like him…" she breathed out, shocked by the resemblance.

Naruto stared at the picture, and didn't quite see it. Sure, they had the same hair, and the same eye color, but lots of people have blond hair and blue eyes. His face was more pointed that his was, and his eyes were narrower.

Underneath the picture, stamped in red was the word 'DECEASED'

"I don't really see it…" he told her honestly. He wanted to take the file from her, but she started reading it out loud.

"Joined the military at eighteen… was moved up to a general by twenty…. Look at all the assignments he's been on…." She commented, running her finger down the list. The average number that a normal soldier would go on in a year was about twenty. He averaged at fifty-seven a year, in between eight years.

"Wow… that's a lot…" he responded, kind of impressed. None of them were failed either.

Hinata flipped the page, and then suddenly closed the folder with a gasp. Naruto jerked his head back at the sudden movement.

"What? What is it?" Naruto asked her, nervous of knowing the answer. Hinata hesitated.

"J-just… let me read this before you do." She told him.

He didn't know why she asked, but he stepped away from her, giving her space.

She opened the folder again to the page she had left off at, reading it over again to verify all the information. She flipped the pages again, and there was even a smaller folder, like the ones that typical soldiers had, tucked away inside. She even opened that one, reading through it.

She gulped.

"Ah… His wife… do you know what her name was?" she asked Naruto.

"Of course I don't." he said bluntly.

"Hm…" She responded, turning to him. She handed him the file, closed.

"Read it yourself."

He looked her in the eyes, and he could tell she found something, He hesitantly took the folder, opening it. The first page was all the same, a list of stats and assignments and blood type, hair color, eye color, nothing he didn't already know.

He turned the page, and there was a list of relatives, with only one living.

SPOUSE- UZUMAKI, KUSHINA

He stared.

He stared and stared and couldn't move his eyes away from the name until the picture of it was burned into his memory. His eyes moved to the rest of the page, but nothing gave more info, at least, not what he was looking for. Past the pages that were stacked in the folder, there was a tab that jutted out.

UZUMAKI, KUSHI-

He didn't even read the entire name before he dropped his folder and grabbed hers. He let it hit the ground, not caring what spilled out. He jerked hers open, and did the same thing that Hinata did earlier, he covered his mouth with his hands.

She looked just like he did.

Her eye and hair color were completely different, but the smile on her face, the shape of her eyes and her face- it was uncanny.

Hinata bent down slowly to pick up the folder that he knocked to the ground, picking up the scattered papers.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" she commented, knowing that's what he was looking at.

He didn't respond. Instead he finally got the courage to move his eyes away from her picture. As soon as he did, he wish he hadn't.

'DECEASED'

He wanted to cry, or maybe puke, he didn't know which one. He moved away slowly from the words, letting them sink in. He didn't know why he was expecting anything different, but something in him was hopeful still.

She joined at the same age that he did, probably how they met. She quit a few years later, no explanation given. Aside from her assignment list, that was it.

"Did you see what day she died?"

It was listed at the end of the pages.

October 10th

He closed the folder, knowing everything he needed to. He handed the folder back to Hinata without saying a word. She grabbed the folder, staring up at him. His eyes we're completely blank. No emotion could be seen in them at all. She slowly slid it from his fingers.

He turned sharply, and began to walk away from her, and started passed Tsunade.

"Ah, Hey! Where are you going?" Hinata yelled after him.

Tsunade let him walk past her, not trying to stop him.

She did however, stop Hinata.

"What are you-" Hinata reacted when Tsunade stuck her arm out in front of her.

"You have no idea what's going on in his mind right now, just give him some space." She told her. Hinata furrowed her eyebrows at her.

"You knew… didn't you? For how long?!" Hinata demanded to know.

"When your best friend named the kid how can you not know?!" she yelled back.

They heard the door to the front of the building slam shut, presumably by him.

Hinata was confused. "I'm sorry, I don't understand?"

Tsunade sighed, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Jiraiya was his mentor, the Fourth's. It was the character in a book that Jiraiya wrote. He came up to me one day and started freaking out about It." she huffed.

"You… knew Jiraiya?" she asked her. She had only heard about Jiraiya from Naruto, and no one else. She had no idea anything about him, and this was completely new to her.

Tsunade let out a large, snarky laugh.

"Knew the guy? I grew up with him! Kept following me around asking me on dates all the time…" she muttered, rolling her eyes. "Eventually he stopped, but he had this infatuation with me until the day he died.

Hinata really needed to see a picture of this person, her mental image was just too strange to think it was a real person.

Hinata leaned against the other side of the entryway, staring off in the direction that Naruto went.

"Could you tell me how he died, Jiraiya?" she asked Tsunade, turning her head towards her.

She saw Tsunade bite her lip, contemplating it.

"I could… but I'm not the one that should."

….

He didn't know where he was going, what he was doing, or why. He just had to walk away from where he was. He walked passed all the other soldiers on the grounds, past the side exit of the castle, and into the surrounding wooded area. He dodged branches and roots that were coming out of the ground like second nature, not even thinking about it.

Because he wasn't.

His mind was racing, connecting everything together, asking questions, and figuring out how everything could have turned out like it did.

Why wasn't it more known that he was the son of the state military commander? More importantly, why would he seal Kurama inside him, he must have known full well what everyone would see him as when he did it. Why did his mother die? What happened? Why would they both just abandon him without anything, without a trace of who they were?

He punched the nearest tree to him, causing it to crack and split where his fist hit it. He didn't realize he was breathing so hard until pulled his fist out of the tree to look at it. He wasn't surprised that he had bloodied his hand doing it, but he just had to punch something.

He sat down under the tree he had marked, trying to calm down. So much was exposed to him in such a little amount of time he thought that everything was spinning around him. He just wanted to continue living without caring about how his parents were. He thought that there was a chance that they weren't them, but when her date of death lined up with the day he was born, there was no way that they couldn't be.

Overall, he was glad that he found out, and was sure that one day he'd appreciate the knowledge, but right now it just hurt.

He was crying. Silent tears that could only be heard when they fell off his face. He didn't even know he was going to until they started falling.

" _ **Kid, what's wrong with you?" Kurama asked.**_

"Not now…" Naruto told him, actually speaking it aloud.

" _ **Ha… listen, I was there the night those two were killed, you know."**_

_Naruto perked his ears at the statement._

" _That's right! Do you remember anything? What happened?"_

_Kurama sighed._ _**"I would have told you earlier, but whatever that man did to me that night messed up my memory pretty bad. Seeing the pictures of the two of them just brought it all back."** _ _Kurama explained._

" _Okay, but what happened!?" Naruto was getting impatient. He wanted to know more._

" _ **Kushina Uzumaki… she was you before you we're you."**_ _He stated._

_Naruto furrowed his eyebrows._

" _What?"_

_Kurama sighed._ _**"I mean, I was sealed in her before you."** _

_Naruto's eyes widened_ _unsure of how to feel about the information. If he were to look from an outside view, it made sense that he would be sealed in people before him, but he just never through of it._

" _ **When she gave birth to you, someone undid the seal, controlled me, and started wreaking havoc in the city."**_

_Naruto's head was starting to hurt with all this information, completely shocked by it all. He didn't speak, didn't move. He just listened, not knowing how to even respond._

" _ **It was incredible that she didn't die from that right away, especially after giving birth. In the end… I was the one that killed them both."**_

_Naruto's head snapped up in the direction of Kurama, wanting to be angry. The mourning, regretful look on his face kept him from it._

" _B-but you we're controlled, you had no choice, right?" Naruto wanted to make sure._

_Kurama shook his head._

" _ **No, your father had wounded the man on the leg bad enough for him to retreat. Releasing whatever he had on me. I was aiming to kill you, knowing he was just going to seal me again… they blocked my hit towards you, and she was already weak enough as is, and your father used the last of what he had to seal me away.'**_

_Naruto was glaring at him, unable to believe what he had told him. If he hadn't done anything, they would still be alive, be with him. He could have been happy, had a family that loved him._

_The old fox sighed._

" _ **I'm sorry."**_ _Was the only thing he could say._

He wanted to yell, he wanted to be angry, and he wanted to fight someone, something, and anything. He wanted to fight Kurama. But what good would that do? It wouldn't change anything

Naruto was brought back to reality by something hitting his face. He shook from surprised more than he typically would. He felt it again.

It was starting to rain.

He got up off the ground and made his way back into town, still not wanting to go back home. The rain kept picking up, and it was a light drizzle now. He found the buildings on the edge of town and walked in between them in the narrow pathway, getting further into the city,

He walked around, looking at the shop windows and the people on the streets. Some were street performers, some were beggars, and others were just children, running around outside in the rain. He was sure that their parents would come and take them home any minute as the rain kept getting harder. He kept walking and walking, with no real destination in mind.

" _ **You should get back home to Hinata, she's probably worried about you. She didn't have that much to do today, and it's close to dinner, she's probably waiting for you…"**_ _Kurama tried to reason._

Naruto just ignored him.

He turned the corner of the street, recognizing the alleyway he found himself in. The barrel was long gone, but this alley was his home for years. The same pattern of brick, the same trash collectors, all that was the same.

He looked at the spot where he used to sleep and could see the small etchings along the brick where he would draw pictures. He crouched down, putting his hand against the wall, looking at them. One was supposed to be him, but the marks he used for his cheeks were too big, so they looked like whiskers.

He laughed internally at the picture, moving on to the next one. There was a dog, and a few other people, none of which he remembered. Maybe one was the baker that always drove him away? It could be a loaf of bread in his hand, but he couldn't tell for sure.

He heard the crash of someone throwing something in the trash bin beside him.

"Hm? Hey, what are you doing?" the man said, sounding like he was accusing him of who knows what.

Naruto turned his head to look at the man. He was vaguely familiar, but he just couldn't say from where. His belly was huge, and his bead was long. What hair the man had was tied back at the nape of his neck.

Naruto stood up from the ground, realizing that he towered over the man in height. The man looked at him curiously.

"You… look like that boy who put those marks on the side of my shop…" He told Naruto.

He was the owner of the building, that's it.

"Sounds about right." Naruto told him, walking past without saying anything more. The man watched him walk off, holding a hand out to stop him, but was too surprised to say anything.

Naruto continued, the rain getting heavier still. He kept walking down the path he was on, knowing where it leads.

He could see the building in the distance. It was made from grey and black brick, with a sign hanging in front of it.

He never moved far away from the orphanage, since he knew the kids that still lived there. If he was careful, he could sneak into the playground and play with them while they were allowed outside.

The building looked a lot smaller than he remembered, but he hadn't come by here in the past six years. The steps looked smaller, the handrails less intimidating, and the wooden door looked more worn than it used to. He just stood there, staring at it, not sure what he was supposed to feel.

' _Why did I come here…'_ he wondered.

"N-Naruto?" someone called out from behind him. He turned his head to the side, recognizing the voice.

He braced himself for a punch or a slap, knowing how Sakura's personality could be, but instead she hugged him. It was a tight hug, different than the ones that Hinata gave him, and it still hurt just a bit, but he expected it from Sakura.

She had an umbrella with her and a jacket on, to block her from the rain.

"Hey, Sakura… How is it I always run into you?" he tried to joke.

"Probably because you never come see me on purpose! You don't even write to me!" She huffed at him. "I've been worried about you…" she told him, letting go of their hug.

"Yeah… it's been crazy. Sorry for that." He responded, sounding rather monotonous. Sakura furrowed her eyebrows.

"Are you okay? Did something happen?" she asked him, placing a hand on her hip.

"Me? Oh yeah, I'm fine! Just… distracted." He told her honestly.

She could see how soaked his clothes were and wondered how long he had been out here. She put a hand on his shoulder.

"Come back to my place, wait out this rain." She told him, turning him forward.

Naruto wanted to tell her no thanks, he wanted to be just by himself right now, but the look on her face, that worried and concerned look that was spread across her face made it impossible to do so.

He nodded his head.

Her home was only a block away from where they were. A small apartment, quite large compared to his old one, with a few decorations here and there, it fit her. She took off her coat and offered him a towel. He accepted.

"So, what's wrong?" she asked again, firmer than before.

"What do you mean? Nothing is wr-"

"Naruto, you can't lie to me, not when I catch you staring at an orphanage like I did." She sharply told him. He winced at her volume.

They stared at each other, wondering who would cave first. Her look was intense, and Naruto eventually caved.

"I just… found out some stuff today that I don't know how to feel about." He sighed, running the towel through his hair.

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"I can't help you without you telling me what it is." She told him, reaching into a cabinet and grabbing two mugs.

"I don't even know if I could explain it if I wanted to." He confessed, walking the towel over to it.

She took the towel after setting the mugs on her counter, taking the towel to the back of her apartment, washing later.

"Well…. Is it about something right now?" she asked him, yelling across the house.

"… not really." He admitted.

"Something happening in the future?" she continued.

"No."

She walked back over to him, opening a second cabinet, and getting out a pot. She filled it with water.

"Then why…" she set the pot on the stovetop. "Are you letting it bother you so much?" she asked him.

His looked at her, confused by what she meant.

"I- what do you mean?"

"What I _mean_ is," she rested against the counter, leaning her arms on it. "If it's not affected something right now, and not affecting something in the future, there's nothing you can do about it, right?"

He blinked at her.

"Yeah, but what if it didn't happen, and the change on your life would have been huge, ya know? For the better." He hypothesized.

She kicked off the counter, grabbing a container that was sitting on her counter, scooping out what looked to be tea into the pot on her stove. He could see the steam rising from it.

"Let me ask you this. Are you happy right now? Overall, are you happy?"

He stopped for a moment, looking at the mug in front of him, thinking about her question.

"And If you say 'No I'm not happy' you're a bigger idiot than I thought." She continued before he could answer.

She took the tea off the stove, and poured it into the two mugs, turning the handle of one of them towards him.

"You live in a castle, you have everything prepared for you, you spend your days training other people to be better soldiers, helping those who need it, _and_ you are in a relationship with the Queen of our country, who is completely in love with you!"

"We're getting married, actually." He told her, picking up the mug from the counter.

"Marrying the Queen of our Country, what- WHAT!?" she yelled, causing Naruto to jump. He was thankful he didn't spill any of the hot tea in his hands.

"YOU'RE GETTING _MARRIED?!_ SINCE WHEN?" she kept yelling. Naruto truly thought she was terrifying.

"H-how'd you not know?! Every newspaper in town says something about it! How was I supposed to know you couldn't read?!" he tried to reason.

As soon as he said it, he regretted it.

He put down his mug as Sakura continued to yell.

"What do you mean I can't read!? I'll have you know that I just got back into town from visiting family! I was gone for a month! Don't tell me I can or can't READ!"

Naruto kept backing away from her.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" he kept repeated.

She calmed down after hearing him apologize about twenty times, putting her hands on her hips.

"We can talk about that after this." She agreed with herself, not waiting for Naruto's opinion.

She sat down at the small table that was next to the exit of her kitchen.

"Do you think that you and Hinata would still be together if whatever happened in the past did? Would you sacrifice her just to have that happen?" she questioned.

"No." he said without even thinking about it.

In fact, he didn't realize he even answered until Sakura responded. He was so caught up in thinking about how different his life would be if she wasn't in it.

"Well, there you go. That's why it shouldn't bother you so much." She stated.

He looked at her, and blinked a few times. What she said made sense. If he knew that he wouldn't want to risk everything he had now, for a better past, he could never do it. He didn't know why he was letting it affecting so much, there was nothing he could do to change it, and he lived his whole life not knowing about a family or who his parents were, it won't change who he is.

Sakura stared at him.

"Naruto?"

"Hm?" He snapped back to attention.

"You spaced out there for a moment…" she commented, taking a sip of her drink.

"Oh sorry, I was just thinking." He told her with an embarrassed smile.

Then it dawned on him.

"Sakura, what time is it?"

She looked passed him to the clock on the wall behind him.

"About seven, wh-"

Naruto Shoved himself away from the counter, not realizing how late it was. He was never good at keeping track of time.

"S-sorry Sakura, I have to go!" He told her, messing with the handle of her front door.

"W-What, but we still have to talk about you _getting married!"_ she reminded him.

"Later, I promise later! C-Come by the castle tomorrow and we can!" he promised her. He opened the door finally, stepping out.

"Fine, but you better keep your promise!" she yelled at him from the table.

"I will, don't worry!" he told her, closing the door. He opened it slightly again, almost forgetting. "Thank you!" Then he shut the door.

Sakura wondered what he was so worried about, not really having any clue to help her. She sighed, looking around the empty home, noticing the cup still on the table.

He had never even taken a drink.

…

"Queen Hinata, please come back inside, I'm sure he'll return soon." The guard standing next to her at the gate recommended.

She shook her head.

"No, Izumo. I'm going to wait." She said firmly, standing her ground.

"Then… at least let me get you an umbrella or something, you're going to catch a cold."

She shook her head again, still firm in her answer.

She knew this was her fault. He didn't want to know in the first place who his family was, but she just couldn't help and be curious to find out. If this is what she gets, waiting for him to come home in the rain, this is what she deserves. She had no idea the emotional weight it would put on him. She hadn't even thought that they would have both died the day he was born, he had been alone from the very beginning with no one. She wished she had never even brought it up to begin with.

So, she stood there, waiting.

…

He was running, running through the streets as fast as he could, trying to get back. The sun was blocked by the rain clouds, and it was already starting to set. The street lights slowly flickered on, sensing how dark it was outside. It was times like this that he was thankful for his hair being so bright, people could see him.

He was dodging and weaving in between people, carts, horses, anything in his way. He didn't know how many times he told people 'sorry 'and 'excuse me' while weaving through. He hoped Hinata wasn't going to be upset with him, for being gone so long.

He almost tripped winding the corner into the castle entrance due to the rain, but caught himself before he fell. The lights were on at the gates, their lights flickering in the rain, and her face.

He was too far away to see her face clearly, but he knew that it was her.

She could hear his footsteps splashing in the puddles before she saw him. She could see him almost fall as he hit the corner, and she wasn't sure why he was running. She could feel her chest swell, so elated to finally see him. He had only been gone for a few hours, but it felt like eternity.

"There he is, running a usua-Hey!" Izumo tried to make conversation, but Hinata took off down the road towards him. She was running, she didn't care how she was supposed to act, she didn't care if she wasn't supposed, she wanted to feel him again.

"H-Hinata!" He yelled as they around fifteen feet still between them.

She ran into him, almost causing both of them to fall over. He steadied them with his legs, wrapping his arms around her.

"Why are you out in the rain, you're going to get sick!" He told her over the falling of the rain.

She started shivering in his arms, not saying anything.

' _Oh jeez, how long was she out here?'_ he thought to himself, wishing he had some sort of jacket to give her.

"I-I'm so… sorry…" she apologized, her face buried in his chest.

She was crying. Those weren't shivers, those were hiccups. Shy was crying and apologizing but he had no idea what for.

"Sorry? What- why are you sorry?" he asked her, trying to shield her from the rain with his own body.

"I-I was th-the one who… who p-put you through a-all that… Y-You said you didn't care to kn-know but I still insi-sted!" she cried out through her hiccups.

"Ah-what? No! you don't have to apologize! I don't regret knowing at all!" he tried to reason with her, but it didn't help.

She pushed harder into his chest.

"B-but you ran a-away!" she continued.

Naruto's foot slipped under the water, causing both him and Hinata to hit the ground. He could feel him scrape his knees on the stone, and only hope Hinata's didn't do the same.

"Yeah, I did, but that was just me being dumb!" he told her. "I-I ran off not wanting to think about it, but that's all I ended up doing anyway! I should've stayed here, with you!"

She lifted her head from his chest, and he could see how red her face was.

"I... I just wanted you t-to a family… l-like I did." She admitted, her eyes crinkling into just slits as her tears rolled down her face.

Naruto hugged her, burying her face in the crook of his neck.

"Hinata, you dummy…" he spoke only as loud as he needed to. He could feel her grabbed at the fabric of his wet shirt.

"You're my family."

…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mmmhm mmhm, chapter done. I was really excited to write this chapter, and most of it I did in just the free time I had today. Got some aah… character development, and eventually I'll get to how Jiraiya died, actually probably next chapter… then the wedding, then arc three? Dunno, I still need to plan the third arc. I know how itll end I just don't know how… to get.. there.
> 
> Eh, we'll find out together!


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello! This chapter contains a nice lil appearance of another character, and honestly my favorite in the show aside from the core of em.
> 
> So, if I don't come up with some more stuff, which I've been thinking about for the past forever and just cant think of anything else I want to cover right now, next chapter might be like… the last of this part? I know that this one was only eleven chapters versus the nineteen in the last one, and I havent mapped out the next one yet either… ahaha… I know whats going to happen don't get me wrong I just havent separated it all out ya know.
> 
> Anyway, here's wonderwall

It wasn't like Hinata to miss breakfast. Occasionally she would have to ignore the meal if other plans were in the way early in the morning, but when you're up as early as she was, every bit of energy helped. Maybe not a full meal, but something to keep her going.

But this time, her spot was empty.

Typically she would usually tell him if something was preventing her from joining him, but he had received no word from her. Of course, there wasn't really a good time for her to tell him yesterday, both being so emotional after the discovery of his deceased parents, something that kept him up many hours last night, thinking about what they must have been like.

But right now, he wasn't angry, he was worried. He stood up from the table, not having touched his food yet. One of the kitchen workers looked at him curiously.

"I'll be back." He told her with a gentle smile. She nodded, understanding where he was going.

He left the room, making his way down the hall towards her own. When he's walking Hinata to her room for the evening it's the shortest walk in the world. In times like this, it was the longest. He rounded the corner of the hall, seeing her door was closed. It didn't mean much, but it was still an observation.

He knocked calmly, not wanting to scare her if she was still in her room. If she wasn't, he was sure he could find her somewhere, but this was his best place to look first. He wrapped four times on the door.

"Hinata?" he asked, waiting for a response that never came.

He tried again, a bit louder.

"Hinata, you there?"

Still nothing.

He debating not opening the door. If she didn't respond she probably wasn't in her room- which made sense. It also made sense that if she wasn't, nothing would come of him opening it anyway.

' _Just to check, make sure she didn't oversleep.'_ He reasoned.

He opened the heavy door slowly. The windows that were in the room faced to the east, making the room incredibly bright in the morning, more so than what he would have thought. It took him a minute to adjust his eyes to it, eventually noticing the person still in her bed. She was sleeping on her side, facing away from the door and towards the middle of her bed. For all the bed that she had, she typically just slept on the edge.

He almost wanted to laugh at her. She was never one to oversleep, knowing well how much time she needed in advance to be prepared for something. She never slept in past breakfast though, not even on a Sunday.

He left the door open as he walked over to her.

"Hinaaata, you know what time it is, right?" he asked her in a sing-song tone, bieng a few feet from her.

She didn't stir.

Naruto tilted his head, curious that she didn't hear him. He continued.

"Hinata, breakfast is ready." He said, sitting on the edge next to her. He put a hand on her shoulder that was covered by her comforter. Most of her was covered in it.

She stirred slightly, digging her head into her pillow more, before turning so that she could just barely see him over her shoulder.

"Na-ruto? What're you doing?" she asked him, sounding rather drained. He assumed it was from the sleep.

"Waking you up, breakfast is ready." He told her with a smile.

She jerked her body up, shocking Naruto with how fast it was.

"What?! What time is it?" she asked him, still not quite all there. Her voice cut in and out for a second, dropping in the middle. Naruto still understood what she meant.

"It's about eight, nothing too bad…" The end of his sentence trailed off as he looked at her closer. Her cheeks were red, and she was breathing rather hard for just waking up. Her skin even looked paler, almost lifeless.

She put her hands on her cheeks.

"Okay, that's… that's fine." She said, telling herself more than him. She rubbed her cheeks with her hand before moving. He got up as she turned her body to her out of her bed. She was wearing the outfit she had stolen from him, the sweatpants and his white shirt.

"Hinata, are you okay?" he asked her, worried.

She put her feet over the bed, bracing herself to stand up. Naruto saw her arms start to shake.

"Yes, just… just cold." She mumbled.

She stood up from her bed, and Naruto watched as it looked like she was using all her strength just to do that.

"Hinata, you really don't look okay." He told her, wanting her to sit back down. She shook her head slowly.

"No, I'm fine." She argued, taking a few steps.

Before he knew what had really happened, he had caught her before she hit the floor. She was on her knees, and the rest of her body he was holding near the ground, almost not catching her in time. Her breathing was more rapid than before. Her body was hot, uncomfortably hot, in his arms.

"H-Hinata?!" was the only thing he really knew to say. He sat her back on her legs, watching as she was holding herself up from the ground with her hands. His arms were still an inch from her body, in case something else were to happen.

"I-it's just my knee… I'm okay." She tried to reason with him. He knew her knee had taken a hit last night. It was bruised and slightly swollen, but it didn't prohibit her ability to walk, at least not yesterday.

"Hinata, I don't think it's your knee at all." He told her firmly. She looked sick to him.

"No- I can't… be sick…" she continued on, trying to get up off the ground.

Naruto wanted to beat himself up, watching her struggle to move. He knew this was because she stood out in the rain for him. If he hadn't of run off like he did, he was sure that Hinata wouldn't be like this.

She had made it to stand up. But that was as far as she got before falling backwards, losing her balance. He caught her again, fully aware that she was going to fall.

Her eyes were closed as he looked at her, seeing a pained look on her face as she tried to catch her breath. There was no way she wasn't sick. Standing up shouldn't take this much out of a person.

Naruto guided her back to her bed, glad she wasn't arguing with him anymore. He was sure that she just realized how tired she was. She laid back down, and Naruto put her comforter back over her body, watching her tuck back into it like second nature.

"Here, you just lay down. I'll go get someone to come look at you, okay?" he told her, sweeping the strands of hair that were sticking to her face. He felt her forehead and how hot it was. She tried to tell him something, but instead just nodded her head.

He kissed her forehead, somewhat wishing that would make her feel better.

"I'll be back soon." He told her before her left.

…

Finding a doctor to come to the queen was something he didn't expect to be as easy as it was. He had just told one of the castle workers, and within minutes someone was there. Who it was, however, was a surprise to him.

It was Tsunade.

He walked with her over to Hinata's bedroom, filling her in with what happened as she asked.

"That dumb girl, I told her to just give you space, she didn't have to wait out in the rain." She muttered, angry at Hinata.

She was walking fast, making Naruto almost jog to keep up with her.

"I didn't know you we're a doctor." He said, mainly wanting to make sure she was qualified. Her walking stuttered just a bit as she heard the comment, like she was surprised.

"Kid, everyone in the Military has a purpose. While yours was fighting, mine was healthcare. I can still beat you anytime in a fight" She assured him. "But my specialty is in medicine." She explained to him. "There's always going to be a need to develop new medicines and drugs for those who are sick."

Naruto thought it was strange that she had never brought it up before, but looking back on it, there was never a time that she really needed to. He always saw the medicinal and health books on her desk, but he never thought anything of it. Just thought they were decoration really.

"So, you put her back to bed, right?" Tsunade asked as they approached her room.

"Yeah." He confirmed.

"Good, hope she stayed there. She's just as stubborn as you are sometimes." She commented.

Naruto scrunched his face at her comment.

' _I'm not stubborn…'_ he thought to himself. However, the more he thought about it, the more he realized she was right.

Tsunade opened the door without even knocking, walking in without hesitation. Naruto followed in behind her, thankful that Hinata was still in her bed. She hadn't moved much since she left. Tsunade out her hands on her hips, staring down at her. She had a coat on that had various pockets on the inside. You could hear it clink when she moved.

She sighed.

"Hinata, wake up." She told her without pity. Naruto was almost surprised that she used that sort of tone, and even more surprised when Hinata woke up.

"Alright, let's see what you did to yourself." Tsunade told her, almost like it was an inconvenience for her to be there.

Tsunade put her hand to Hinata's forehead, feeling the temperature. Tsunade's eyes were closed, and she put a hand to her own forehead, feeling the difference.

Naruto watched in curiosity as Tsunade continued. She had Hinata stand- which he wasn't fond of- waiting to see how long it was until she lost her balance. She put her fingers on Hinata's throat, checking how strong her heartbeat was. She asked her questions about dizziness, coughing, any sort of stomach issue, and the last thing she ate. The last thing she did was put her hand on Hinata's chest, telling her to breathe.

The whole exam took about ten minutes to be done, and Tsunade let her go back to sleep, which Hinata seemed relieved about. She signaled Naruto to leave the room with her. He assumed it was so they could talk.

She closed the door quietly behind her, not having the same look on her face that she did when they went in.

"Well… it looks like it's just a cold, something she can get over in a week or so." She started. Naruto waited for the 'but' he could sense was coming.

"But, when she breathes, it's raspy. That could just be from the cold, or it could mean something more serious, like a lung infection." She saw Naruto's facial expression change from concerned to terrified as soon as she said it.

"So what does that mean then? She can just get over that too, yeah?" he asked.

Tsunade started walking down the hallway in the direction of her office.

"That's possible, yes. And remember, it might not even be anything like that, it could just be a part of the strain for this year's cold." She reminded him, making sure that he knew the possibility of what she was going to say was very low.

"However, if it is something more severe is really happening, then that could lead to breathing problems, shortness of breath, even leading to blockage in her lungs which could lead to her not being able to breath _HOWEVER_ -" she stopped him before he could even reply.

"That is highly unlikely, one in a million chance even." She finished.

Naruto felt his teeth clench.

"Thank you, Tsunade." He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"In the meantime while I go make something for her to take, you should make sure that there's nothing she needs to get done today, no meetings she has to go to, nothing like that. If she does, you'll just have to go instead." She told him, knowing full well he wouldn't like to hear that.

He raised his shoulders, not prepared to hear that.

"What? B-but I don't have a clue what she has to do today! I don't know if I could even do it!" he tried to argue. Tsunade just gave him a small laugh.

"Look, you might not think so, but you're the most qualified person to do it. You don't want her doing it, do you?" she asked, knowing his answer.

"Of course I don't! I just, I don't know…" he murmured, starting to worry.

He knew that what Tsunade said was true, he had been the closest to Hinata and what she does daily than anyone else over the past months, trying to learn as they went on. If anyone were to do it, it'd be him.

"Just act confident and you'll be fine." Tsunade assured him before taking a turn down the staircase. "And don't forget Hanabi, I'm sure she knows some things as well."

…..

He didn't know how she did it. Only four hours had passed and yet he was ready to go to sleep for the night. He had been to three meetings – one with the public works committee, one with the head of castle staff, and one with a health group he couldn't quite remember the name for-, read over seven different documents all having nothing to do with each other, sealed the letters and addressed them- terribly- to the applicants accepted for military training, and he hadn't ever gone back to eat his breakfast.

The worst part of it all was that most everyone that he met with had no idea who he was. It was constant whispers of 'That's who she's marrying?' and 'I wonder if this was arranged? He looks nothing like royalty.' Every one of them seemed hesitant to talk with him, to make arrangements and find compromise, but at the end he had done more than what he thought he could do. People were leaving with resolutions and smiles of accomplishment on their face. He could only assume he was doing a good job.

And for now, his job was done. There wasn't another thing for him to do today until late afternoon, for which he was thankful for. He hoped to check in with Hinata and see how she was doing, eat something after that, and maybe sneak in a nap.

He went to his room first, changing his shirt out. He hadn't realized how sweaty he had gotten from just those activities. Maybe it was nerves, maybe it was how hot it was today now being summer, or a mix of both. He could feel the shirt sticking to his back before he changed, a feeling he never enjoyed.

He then went to Hinata's room, checking on her. There was a guard stationed in front of her room. He was there to make sure that no one came in to see her that wasn't authorized to. If someone were to get in with harmful intentions, she would have no way to defend herself, being as sick as she was.

Luckily, he was authorized.

He knocked first, but like before, he didn't get an answer. He slowly opened the door to find her still asleep in her bed. He wouldn't blame her for sleeping until the next morning, in face he would've preferred it. He put a hand to her forehead, feeling her temperature. It was still uncomfortably warm against his skin. He wondered if Tsunade had already been by with some sort of medicine for her. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and swore he saw her smile, just a little bit.

He had closed the door as slowly as he did opening it, turning to go to the dining hall. He would hope Hanabi would be down there as well. He had no idea what she did during the day, so tracking her down was hard to do. He didn't even know if she knew Hinata was sick or not.

He was about to open the door to their dining hall before someone interrupted.

"Excuse me, Naruto Sir."

One of these days he'd get used to people calling him Sir, but today was not that day. Naruto turned his head back around to acknowledge the voice.

"Hm?"

His eyes widened at who it was, completely forgetting he existed after they went their separate ways after training. He was in his uniform, so he had to be on duty, and his eyebrows were just as sharp as ever. He looked nervous for some reason.

"Lee…?" Naruto asked, not really know what to say.

"Naruto Sir, you have a visitor!" he told him, his inflection not hitting in the right places. Naruto turned his head to the side curiously, not sure what was wrong with him. He was always weird, but not this weird. He never looked like he was about to fall apart. Naruto wondered if he pushed him with his finger if he would fall over.

"Ah, Thanks… Lee. How have you been?" Naruto asked him while Lee led him downstairs.

"It has been good, Sir!"

Naruto stopped him.

"Okay, you don't have to call me Sir, it's weird. Just call me Naruto and I'll call you Lee." Naruto explained, thinking it was simple enough, but Lee shook his head.

"I am afraid I cannot do that, I have to show you a sign of respect, Sir!" he answered, and Naruto winced at his volume.

"Quit yelling! And no, you don't. It's not like I'm going to do anything to you if you don't. I'd prefer if you just called me Naruto." He continued.

Lee stopped for a moment, and dropped his shoulders.

"Naruto… yes, that sounds fine. Should I still address Lady Hinata as such? Or would she prefer Hinata as well?" he pondered, not really asking Naruto. But Naruto still answered.

"That's up to her, she's used to It." he said as he started walking again.

They got to the end of the staircase and continued their trek. They had to walk down the length of this hallway, turn the corner and go down a bit further, and then there was the door that lead into the back of the audience hall.

Come to think of it, he's never had an audience before.

"So, what's it like, living with the Queen?" Lee asked. Naruto didn't know if it was small talk or if he genuinely wanted to know. If he had to guess it'd be the latter, knowing Lee.

"It's about as great as you think it is. If I didn't like Hinata then it might be another story." He joked, breaking the air of formality that Lee thought he needed to still keep up.

"Ah, But you love her, yes?" Lee asked, excited.

The turned the corner.

"Well, of course I do. I'm sure anyone that met her would love her though, I just got lucky." He answered, hiding his smile.

"Ah that is so amazing!" Lee clasped his hands together in fists in front of his chest. "One day I will find my true love, I am sure of it!" he said with determination.

"Yeah, one day." He assured. Naruto didn't when that day would ever come, but he was sure there'd be someone for him.

"Oh, I have forgotten to tell you who is your visitor!" Lee suddenly remembered with the snap of his fingers.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to ask." Naruto admitted. They were practically at the door before either one of them remembered.

"It was Sakura! She said that you told her to visit you today." He said proudly.

Naruto wanted to kick himself for not remembering he told her that, and for not telling her it'd have to be later. He just didn't think he would have time today. Maybe he could have lunch with her, that'd be good. Show her around a bit, then still have time for a nap.

That was the plan.

"Ah, Well, thank you Lee. You're… dismissed?" Naruto wasn't sure the right verbiage to use, but he got the point across. Lee bowed to him with his head, and Naruto returned it.

He took a deep breath before walking in the room, puffing his chest out to look as confident as possible. He made it only a few feet before he saw Sakura and how she looked like she wanted to laugh.

He sighed, turning towards her instead of continuing his walk to the chair in the room. The guards in the room just kept their eyes forward.

"You could've at least let me make it to the chair." He huffed.

"Sorry, it's just… this just seems a bit much to come and visit." She answered. He thought she was right, but there wasn't a different way he had thought of yet except for him to go with them.

"Well, you interrupted my lunch, so you could have given me that." He argued.

"You didn't tell me a time!" she retorted.

She had a point.

"Anyway, I'm going to eat if you'd care to join me." he told her, hiding a smile on his face.

He did enjoy spending time with Sakura. She made him less stressed somehow, like Hinata did. They did it in different way though. Hinata was loving and enjoyed being with him and being around her made him forget about what he was worrying about in that moment and in the future. Sakura reminded him back before his life seemed to do a one-eighty and change completely on him. She reminded him of a less busy time in his life, not that he didn't enjoy what he had now.

They sat, Naruto sitting where Hinata usually sat, and Sakura in his place. He still didn't find Hanabi like he had wanted to here. Their food was brought to them almost immediately as they sat down.

"Oh, this looks so fancy…" Sakura commented as she stared at the plate in front of her. Naruto chortled.

"It looks fancy, but it really doesn't taste that great." He whispered to her so that the staff wouldn't hear. She look at him curiously and took a bite of the small beef chunk that was mixed in with a few pasta and some sort of wine red sauce. She looked at him.

"You're right…" she whispered back.

Naruto held his fork up at her, almost like an 'I told you so' pose. His own pasta noodle was hanging from it.

Sakura took another bite.

"So… where is Hinata? Can I call her that? Or does she prefer like "Queen Hinata?" she asked, chewing on her food.

"I just call her Hinata, I don't think I ever called her anything else. I'm sure she won't mind if you call her Hinata." He took a bite. "At least… just between the two of you." He finished with his mouth full.

"Just Hinata, got it." she made a mental note. "But you didn't tell me where she is." She reminded, taking another bite.

"Oh yeah…" he tilted his head down more at his food.

"Something wrong?" she asked, not understanding the change.

"She's just sick. She can't even get out of bed." He told her.

"Oh… it's that bad? What happened?" she asked, not picking up her food anymore.

"Tsunade came and looked at her this morning and she thinks it's just a cold that she'll just get over." He explained.

"Is there something wrong with her breathing?" Sakura asked, sounding rather surprised.

Naruto looked back at her in shock.

"Yeah… how'd you know that?" he asked a bit quieter than normal.

Sakura, forgetting that she shouldn't know, scratched her face awkwardly.

"Oh, well, I was helping Tsunade this morning while she was making some medicine and that's what she was making it for." Sakura said honestly.

"Oh yeah, I forget you study under her. I didn't even know that she was so good with medicine." Naruto admitted. He would remember seeing Sakura with Tsunade whenever he wasn't with he himself wasn't with Tsunade.

Naruto heard a thumping coming down the hallway, towards the door that led to their bedrooms. Sakura heard it a little after he did as well, turning her head in that direction. He stood up from his spot at the end of the overly long table, keeping is hands on the edge of it.

The door opened with a rather loud bang, and it was the guard that was supposed to be standing watch next to Hinata's room. Naruto looked confused. Worried, and angered all at once.

"W-What are you doing? Why aren't you at your post?" Naruto asked, knowing their rotations.

He was hanging by the doorknob, catching his breath from his sprint.

"I-I'm sorry... Lady Hinata just… asked me to find you…" He huffed, out of breath.

"She asked you? Is she awake?" he asked, still concerned why he ran here.

He nodded his head.

"She wants to show… you something." He answered, still panting.

Naruto was silent for a moment, trying to comprehend what was going on.

He slowly turned his head over to Sakura, who was sitting and not knowing what to say while everything transpired.

"Sorry, I'll be back." He told her, stepping away from the table. She nodded her head in agreement, still not sure what was going on. He didn't either.

He followed the guard back down the hallway, still not comprehending everything.

"So is she okay? Is anything wrong?" he questioned as they went, Naruto walking faster than he was.

"That's the weird thing, she seemed like normal." He explained.

Naruto almost stopped in his tracks, wondering if he heard that right. Tsunade said she probably wouldn't leave bed until tomorrow, let alone be back to normal for a week. There's no way that she could just be better that fast.

"What makes you say that?" he asked as they kept walking.

"She was the one that came to the door, she didn't call for me or anything. She seemed rather surprised I was even standing there. Then she asked me to come find you."

Naruto stopped in front of her door, knocking on it before going inside. He heard something muffled come from the other side that sounded like 'Come in'.

He told the guard to wait there.

Opening the door faster than he had done today, he stepped inside, making sure it was closed behind him. His eyes focused on her bed, where she was sitting up, out of the blankets.

"Naruto! Isn't this incredible?!" she asked him, holding her arms out. He walked over to her.

Her face was like how it normally was, her skin brighter, her eyes filled with life. She was sitting up on her bed. She looked just as surprised as he did.

"Hinata, what happened? Y-you were so sick earlier you couldn't have gotten over it so fast. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you're better but I'm just… confused." He explained taking a seat on her bed next to her. She wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

"It was Kurama." She said bluntly.

Naruto pulled away from the hug and looked at her with confusion still.

"Kurama? What?"

She laughed at him before explaining.

"Remember when he gave me that present? I finally used it for the first time." She smiled like she was being sly.

But he was still confused.

"How did you do that? Typically I just don't get sick in the first place, how you just healed from it so fast, I'm just so lost." He admitted, running a hand through his hair.

"I think it's because mine is… dormant… unless I use It." she explained, remember what Kurama had told her.

" _ **Sounds right."**_ Kurama mumbled, but Naruto didn't pay attention to him.

"And I woke up just feeling terrible. I couldn't do anything, I couldn't move. So I thought about it and decided to try it. I just closed my eyes and thought 'use it use it' and then _it worked._ " She was amazed at what she had done.

Naruto looked at her, surprised that that was actually what happened. She could tell he was doubting her.

"Here, I'll show you." She told him, rolling up the pant of the sweats she was wearing. Naruto saw her knee, the same one that she bruised the previous day. It was still swollen and purple. Naruto wasn't too fond of looking at it. She put her hand over it and breathed in.

There was a small feint orange color around her hand, and Naruto watched as he could see the swelling slowly go down, and the purple fade back to her normal skin color. She released her breath and moved her hand out of the way.

It wasn't completely healed, but there was no denying that it was significantly better. The purple color had all but faded away, and the swelling non-existent.

He stared at her with a pained face, uneasy about it all. She turned her head to the side, not understanding his look.

"What's wrong? Am I not doing it right?" she pried.

"No, it's just…. I know it's harmless to you now, I just don't like you using It." he confessed.

"…Why? It was a gift, and like you said it's harmless, what's the point if I shouldn't use it?" she asked him calmly. She had noticed his hesitation towards it before, but their conversation was interrupted. Maybe if he knew what Kurama was planning in the first place he wouldn't have let him do it.

He looked her in the eyes, putting his hand over hers. She could almost feel the pain from the look he was giving her.

"It… scares me. I'm used to it, it's a part of me, and I couldn't not use it if I wanted to. But with you… I know that Kurama knows what he's doing and that there's no way why you're doing could harm you, but it's…" he broke his contact with her, realizing something.

"I sound rather selfish, huh?" he mumbled rhetorically. She furrowed her eyebrows, still not getting the answer she wanted.

"Why does it scare you? You know it doesn't hurt me." She affirmed.

"Yeah, I know that but… I've seen it hurt people. I mean…" he paused, and put a hand on his chest. " _I've_ used it to kill people, and it's just terrifying to know that the same thing I use to hurt people is protecting you."

Hinata didn't know what to respond with, unsure of what he even wanted to hear. He didn't know what he was expecting her to say either. He just kept her hand in his own.

"Sorry, that was a bit much. I really am glad you're better. You looked like you were dead this morning." He tried to joke, but she wanted to stay on the subject. Her own hand squeezed his.

"Just think of it this way, Kurama protects you, right?" she asked knowingly.

He gave a small chuckle. "As much as he doesn't like to."

"Then just think of it like he's protecting me too. Like you do." She explained, hoping that got her point across.

He looked at her with an understanding smile. She was sure he understood what she meant. Kurama was a part of him, and so he was always with her.

"You always know the right things to say." He said, leaning into her shoulder, placing his forehead on it. She leaned her head over, resting it on top of his. He could hear her breathing and didn't hear anything raspy in it whatsoever. He was glad of that for sure.

She breathed out slowly, not sure if she should ask this or not. She didn't know if it was the right time to or not. He had almost told her before, what would be the harm in asking him to finish?

"Naruto, can I ask you something?"

Naruto- remembering how tired he was from today- simply nodded while his forehead was still on her shoulder.

"Do you remember when you were about to tell me something, back in the ride from that new town?" she asked, honestly not sure if he remembered. It was a little more than a month ago.

He lifted his head up from her shoulder, putting a hand to his chin.

"Hmm… no, I don't." he answered.

"You said something like what you said earlier, you've seen it kill people, and I had asked what happened." She reminded.

She saw his eyes widen with the realization.

"Ah, yes. I remember that. I never finished, did I?" he commented. Hinata shook her head.

He changed his position on the bed, having her move closer to the middle so he could lay next to her on the side. He knew it was a long story, and wanted to be comfortable. He also didn't want to look her in the face to tell her. He had been moving around the topic too much recently anyway, he felt like he owed her an explanation.

"It was a few years ago… back when Jiraiya and I were traveling together still. I was sixteen or seventeen at the time." He was seventeen. "And Kurama and I had just really became friends, ya know?"

"You weren't?" she asked.

"What? No way!" he exclaimed. "Old fox wanted nothing to do with me, and yet… everything at the same time. IF he convinced me to undo the seal, he could be free, but for the first twelve years of my life I didn't even know he existed." He admitted.

"Really?" she commented, wondering how that was possible.

"Yeah, he just wanted nothing to do with me, resenting more or something. It was actually Jiraiya who was the first person to tell me who I was, who Kurama was." he told her.

In her mind that made sense with what Tsunade told her, knowing that he was close to Naruto's father.

"Anyway, we were out in this countryside, on our way back from our trip. He was going to recommend me to all these friends of his as a great kid with so much skill and potential and he was convinced he would find me a wife eventually." He shook his head and chuckled at the memory.

"He had every confidence in me. And… we passed this open field. No animals, people, town, or anything nearby. He asked me to fight him, one last time before we came back."

Hinata could feel his hesitation, him not wanting to continue. She was about to tell him he didn't have to finish when he continued.

"He told me not to hold anything back. At the time, I thought Jiraiya knew everything. There was nothing he said that I didn't believe, even if I told him I didn't. So when he said to not hold back… I didn't." he explained.

Hinata knew exactly where this was headed, wishing it wasn't true.

"I felt worth something, ya know? For the first time I was finally winning in a fight against him. I didn't completely have Kurama's power in control at the time and…" He breathed in sharply, holding his breath. He decided to just say it bluntly.

"I killed him."

Hinata filled her chest with air, not seeming to be able to get enough of it. Her chest felt heavy at his words, and her eyes closed, wishing they weren't true. For how important she knew that Jiraiya was to him, if he was the one to have ended his life… she couldn't bear with it.

"I mean… it was a total accident. I just didn't know what I was doing, I hit him back with a mass of power from Kurama, and he just was thrown way farther than I would have ever thought. I immediately stopped and ran over to him, and-" Another breath. "Half his body was just burned, his ribs were cracked, his breathing was slow and raspy. I-I don't know why he wanted me to fight him full force. Knowing how to control it more now, I mean… I could have cracked his ribs from the very first blow and he just… didn't say anything." His voice trailed off and he rolled his head opposite of hers.

"I… I'm sorry I asked." She admitted. "I didn't know it would be something like that." She truly felt sorry. The pain she felt must be nothing to what he was.

"Nah, don't be. I never told anyone about it after it happened. The only person to ask was Tsunade. I'm sure she wanted to kill me for what I did. At the time… I wished she would have." He tried to joke, but it just hurt Hinata even more to know.

She put a hand on his chest, turning her whole body towards him.

"Naruto…"

He cut her off.

"You know the last thing he told me was?" he didn't wait for a response. "He said 'I'm proud of you.' As best he could as he laid there. I-I watched as his body seemed to burn from what I did, and all he told me was that I made him proud."

Hinata hesitated with her response.

"Well, he must have been proud then, if that is what he told you." She concluded, trying to find something good to hold on to in his story.

He wiped his face with his arm before turning his body towards her like she did with him.

"Yeah, that's what kept me going. I have to keep making him proud." He told her, trying to smile. She knew he was still thinking about everything aside from that, but she was elated from what he said. It was relieving that he didn't have just all bad memories of that day.

"I think you do." She agreed.

"I think I do to… most days." He said with a more sincere smile. She giggled softly.

There was a knock at the door.

Naruto sat up from his spot on her bed, facing the door. Hinata sat up as well, nodding.

"Come in." He projected.

The door creaked open just slightly, to where the guard could poke just his head through.

"Sorry to interrupt, but, your guest wants to know if she should leave." He spoke quietly, unsure of what he interrupted. Naruto raised his shoulders up at the realization.

"Ah, Sakura! I completely forgot that I left her!" he reacted, standing up from the bed. "Tell her I'll be there in a minute."

The guard nodded, slipping his head back out.

Naruto turned towards Hinata.

"I told her to come by so we could catch up yesterday, and I left her at lunch." He explained to Hinata, who was confused as to what guest he was talking about.

"Sakura… the girl with the pink hair?" she asked, making sure she remembered.

"Yeah, she was at the ball last year." He added.

"Right!" she agreed with the snap of her fingers. "You can go and visit with her this afternoon if you'd like." She sighed. "I have to reschedule everything I missed this morning anyway."

Naruto held up his hand.

"Actually, you don't." he told her.

"What do you mean?" she asked, turning her body to get her feet on the floor.

"I took care of them. Your meetings, addressing the military applications, read through those documents you hadn't yet, and finished out those. You don't have anything to catch up on." He explained, smiling at her.

She blinked a few times, being at a loss for words.

"I-I just… you did all that already, for me?" she wanted to confirm.

"Well yeah, I might not have done them as nice as you would have, but they still got done." He confirmed.

She hugged him. She jumped up from her spot on the bed and threw her arms on him, not knowing what else to do.

"Oh… that's just amazing! You don't know how much I appreciate it! That is just incredible…" she told him as he hugged her back.

"I wasn't going to just sit around all day, ya know." He commented. He wasn't expecting this response from her, but he liked it a whole lot more than most others he could think of.

She released him from her arms, a smile completing her expression of gratitude towards him.

"You go on then, I still need to get changed for the day." She told him, sliding past him in her walk over to one of the two closets in the room.

"You're kicking me out?" he joked, wrapping his arms around her shoulders before she made it past him. She let out a yelp in surprise.

"In a way, but you also have a guest you need to go entertain." She reminded him.

The kissed before Naruto let go of her.

"I guess you're right…" he huffed. "You can come join us when you're ready. I'm sure someone will know where we are." He told her, heading back towards the door to leave, hopefully finishing his lunch.

"I might." She contemplated before he went on his way.

…

He walked through the crowds of people that flocked to the streets on the weekend night. Cheers, yells, and the sound of laughter could be heard from just about any street corner. The air was dry, but the wind kept going. The sun had just set moments ago, and the street lamps were already turning on.

It had been awhile since he was here.

He had packed up everything he had wanted that was Danzo's before he left, leaving an obvious sign where his alcove underground was for it to be found. He had taken most of the books and spare pieces of paper before leaving. He had read through all of them, gaining immense knowledge on subjects he didn't even knew existed. Him just a few months ago was nothing compared to him today. He was leaner, more agile, smarter, and more cunning. He had mastered manipulation to make others do what he wanted. His fighting skills were more honed, his stamina higher, his reflexes faster. It didn't matter who he fought, as long as he was faster.

Sasuke was here for a reason, else he wouldn't have come back. He had to confirm something.

He heard the rumor a few towns over, and decided to come to the source to find out. His ears were heightened, try to pick up on a conversation he was wanting to hear. Most of them weren't what he was listening for, and some he wish he hadn't even heard to begin with.

He was heading more towards the center of the city, hoping with the more people the better chances of overhearing. He debated just asking someone but he didn't want to start a rumor that wasn't true in the capital city. He passed through multiple other conversations, and past a few shops. He bumped into a few people, but no one was even able to recognize him. He kept himself hidden. His hair was longer, more flat, than when he had originally left. His clothes were different, and his demeanor was calmer than before. He learned that the subtle changes are what will keep you hidden in plain sight.

He stepped on something.

He looked down at the paper under him, how crinkled it was. It must have been shaken loose from a post or shop window, thrown down into the streets. The sides were tattered, like it was tacked somewhere at one point.

He picked it up.

Nothing was on the side that he stepped on, it was just blank. He turned it over and read it.

He smirked, confirming what he hoped was true.

It was an announcement flyer. He was sure if he had walked into any of the stores or shops in the city he would have already seen it. He read it over again, making sure he read it correctly. There was no mistake, it was written in front of him with the official seal of the royal family.

The Queen was to be married.

Someone passed by him, noting what he was reading. She had just left the shop in front of him.

"Isn't it exciting?" she commented. Sasuke looked up at her, not knowing why she was talking to him.

"I hear she isn't even marrying someone else from royalty. He was just a common folk, like you and me." she added.

She stood there, wanting to spark up a conversation with him, but Sasuke wasn't interested. Instead, he turned and started walking away, leaving her there. He heard her say "I didn't want to talk anyway." Under her breath.

He folded the piece of parchment, storing it inside his pocket. Even though the paper weighed hardly nothing, it held the weight of his plan in it.

He would give it a year. He wanted them to be completely happy before he carried out his will. He wanted to take everything he could from them, like they did him. He knew things that no one didn't. He knew who was ordered to kill his parents, he knew everything he could learn on not on Hinata but Naruto as well, continuing to build his knowledge.

He had a goal, and he wasn't going to stop until it was done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heh, this took longer than I expected. I started it on Monday and just… a million things happened and HERE WE ARE at the end.
> 
> Ahhh ummm I don't really have anything to say except after the neeext chapter ill probably take a break for… a few days? I dunno. I need to map out the last arc. Like, I know the plot points I want to have happen, just not how they all… connect? Idk, don't listen to me, go read the next chapter if its up.


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whhaaat is this a weeeedddding? YES IT'S A WEDDING.
> 
> I kept trying to do research on how weddings were back in the day, but everything I found just kept saying they were like those in the states today-at least like European olden medieval whatever. But I did take a few liberties and added in some things, made it less… modern.
> 
> (Also shoutout to whoever told me the rating for the story didn't change, I appreciate it a lot)

…

It was early April. The sun could be seen shimmering though the white clouds that flowed through the sky. The breeze was calm and felt rejuvenating as it moved around you. There was a sweet scent in the air, filling your lungs as you breathed it all in. Flowers were in bloom and the earth seemed alive.

Truly a perfect day for a wedding.

They had both been planning this day for what seemed like ages, when really it was only a month. It didn't take long for everything to be arranged- being the wedding of royalty. She hated thinking that, but it was true. Within the first week, people were constantly jumping her, making her decide on things she didn't even know would be issues. They did it to him to an extent as well.

But right now, they weren't with each other. They were prohibited from seeing one another until the ceremony began, as an omen of good luck. She couldn't speak for him, but she felt completely swamped by people when there was just four in the room with her. Maybe it was because all but one were doing something to her. One was touching her hair, one was fixing out her dress, and one was constantly swapping out jewelry on her, finding what looked best.

Then there was Hanabi.

"You know, you look good." Hanabi commented, watching as the three other ladies did their work. Hinata felt more like a doll than a bride, but she knew they were almost done.

"I don't _feel_ good." She jerked out as the woman fixing her dress yanked the fabric back, synching it more. Hinata turned her head as best she could to her.

"I think that's plenty tight." She told the woman. She tried not to sound rude, but she also felt that she couldn't bend in any direction. The woman got the hint.

"So are you going to cut all your hair off after this, being married and all?" Hanabi asked her, sitting down. She had dressed herself in a sunshine orange dress, not letting anyone else touch her. Hinata thought she looked rather comfortable. She was jealous.

Hinata thought for a moment, thinking about how long her hair really was.

"I might, but it's just so pretty when it's long. A pain to manage… but pretty." She replied. Their mother did the same thing after her and her father wed. It didn't take long for it to grow back out, but Hinata never knew why she did it.

The woman working on her jewelry started on her wrists, slipping off what Hinata already had on. Hinata put her hand on the woman's shoulder.

"This one stays." Hinata said, requesting that she put it back. The older woman looked at it in her hand.

"Lady Hinata, it looks so… cheap, are you sure you want to wear this?" the woman asked her, thinking Hinata was crazy.

Hinata just smiled back.

"It was a gift."

The woman broke her eyes from the queen, knowing not to ignore her request. That still didn't stop her form rolling her eyes as she slid the blue beaded bracelet back on her wrist.

Hinata could feel the dress fitting tighter around her neck as the other woman finished latching the buttons together.

She really did love the dress she had. It was custom made, like all of the queen's before her. It was made similarly to her mothers. Even though they had a November wedding, the style just seemed to fit Hinata.

It was long, that's for sure. She was grateful that she decided to have the train snap on and off. It was a hefty weight all by itself. The first layer of fabric was a sheer silk that glistened in the light underneath the layers of tulle. The top two layers were lace, like she wanted. They first was just a sheet of it, completely lace. The second was a layer that had lace designs every few inches away from each other, becoming more frequent as they went towards the bottom. At her hips it was gathered just enough to add more volume to it. The top dipped inwards, like a heart. It was the same sheer silk, firmly pressed against her body. It was molded to her shape with wiring and a firmer material was underneath the silk, not to be seen. It was covered in the same sheet of lace that the bottom was. You could still see the shape and outline of the bodice underneath it. The lace trailed its way completely down her arms, flaring out at her wrists and inch down her hands. The lace also went up her neck buttoning in the back. However, the buttons stopped there.

Her back was completely exposed, something different from her mothers. It dipped down some inches below her shoulder blades, letting the cool breeze hit it when she moved. It was partly the reason she wore her hair up. Her bangs were still there, fluffed and just slightly moved to the side, still covering her forehead. The two sides of her hair were braided back, wrapping into the rest of her hair. It was formed in medium sized loops against her head. Weaved in was a very small band that had pearls stringed every two inches. They weren't big by any means, maybe the size of an apple seed, but she loved the way it looked. She wasn't wearing a necklace, feeling it would take away from the neck of the dress. She was wearing earrings that fell down in three strands, like teardrops. Inside those were diamonds. She felt weird not wearing her crown while being so formal, since that's usually when she would wear it. She wasn't going to, however. She never wore her crown much aside from official visits or public appearances, and today was no different.

Right now, it was him and her today, not the King and Queen.

He, on the other hand, was having a completely different experience.

He had three people with him, and didn't quite know what he was wearing.

For one, the shoes were rather uncomfortable. They had buckles on either side, much unlike his preferred shoes that he would just slip on. The shirt was manageable, with it being a white button-up that frilled just slightly at the top. He had a gold vest over that, covering his torso. Also something that was manageable. The main thing he was concerned about was the jacket.

It was mainly white, already a scary concept for him. He felt like he couldn't touch anything in fear of it becoming stained. There was dark blue trim going along ever edge. It went up and encircled the gold buttons that ran down the front, and the slits for them on the other side. The sleeves were rolled up at the end, making them look huge, and they had that same blue trim. There were bars of gold that went from the base of his neck to the star of his shoulders.

His hair was too short to really do much of anything with, so he was thankful that they had left it alone, realizing it was a lost cause.

Tsunade had in her hands the same cold chords he had seen Hiashi wear just once before, and she started pinning them to his left shoulder, and trailing them over to his right.

"This is the last thing, I promise." She told him, knowing he was getting antsy.

Sakura was looking him over as Tsunade was finishing up, making sure nothing looked out of place. She just never imagined the dumb and annoying kid she had met just a year ago to turn into someone like this. She also didn't expect him to look right in this outfit, but it fit him rather well, despite what he might say.

"Everything looks good!" Sakura concluded as she joined Tsunade in front of him.

Naruto gave a glance to the other person in the room, wondering about his opinion.

"What about you, Shikamaru?" he asked.

He got to pick an advisor. Hinata had Tsunade, and that was who she trusted the most. Naruto, not really knowing of anyone to pick, remember Shikamaru. He was a genius, Naruto remembered. He was the son of a mayor in a town that started from just them, he must have helped in some way and knew what he was doing. He also got along with Shikamaru, and trusted him.

So that was his decision.

Shikamaru sighed, not moving from his spot against the wall.

"Don't look as uncomfortable as you are, and you'll be fine."

Naruto thought it was good advice.

He turned around and looked at himself in the mirror of the small room, staring at himself. He adjusted the jacket around fifteen times. He played with his hair even though he knew that if they couldn't get it right, he wouldn't do much better. He puffed out his chest, trying to look commanding and confident, but he just didn't feel it.

"Dare I say you even look handsome?" Sakura commented as she watched Naruto. He sighed, slumping his shoulders down.

"As long as you all think so." He replied.

Tsunade walked over to him and put her hand on his shoulder.

"I know it's not what you usually wear, but it does look good." She assured him. "Anyway, Sakura and I are going to make sure Hinata's ready." She told him, and Sakura agreed.

They both turned and made their way out the door, making sure it was shut behind them. Then it was only Shikamaru and Naruto left in the room.

Shikamaru sat in the only chair that was in the room, sticking his legs out and crossing them at the ankle. He yawned.

"Are you going to yawn like that all day?" Naruto joked, standing next to him.

"I might, if it's as boring as I think it's going to be." he chuckled.

"Aren't you supposed to like… give me words of advice or something?" Naruto asked, pretty sure that's what was supposed to happen.

"You want my advice? Don't get married." He said bluntly. Naruto just blinked a few times, not expecting that answer.

" _BUT_ it seems like we're too late to do that now, so my advice would be…" Shikamaru turned his head over to Naruto's.

"Don't mess it up."

…..

There was a knock at the door, unexpectedly. Hinata didn't react while the woman helping her jumped at the noise. Hanabi ran to the door, holding it closed with her hand.

"If you're Naruto… well, you better not be!" Hanabi yelled.

' _Nicely said'_ Hinata thought, not wanting to say it out loud.

"We aren't the brat, just let us in!"

Everyone in the room knew that voice. Hanabi slowly opened the door, making sure that he wasn't with them before opening it up all the way for them to come in.

Tsunade walked in with a stone cold look on her face, not reacting to anything. Sakura, on the other hand, couldn't help but gasp as she looked at Hinata. She stopped in her tracks, covering her gaping mouth.

Hinata raised her eyebrows and shoulders at the reaction, not knowing how to react herself.

"i-is something wrong?" she asked, wanting to make sure the reaction wasn't bad. Sakura shook her head.

"No no… I just… you look really nice." Sakura replied. Hinata could sense her voice cracking. Was she going to cry?

Hinata put her hands up in front of her. "There's no need to get so emotional over me, Naruto is more your friend then I am. If anything you should save that for him." She said sincerely.

"You're marrying my closest friend, which makes you mine. And I can't help it if I'm emotional, it's a wedding! People are supposed to be!" she affirmed, wiping her eyes before the tears could fall.

' _She thinks we're friends?'_ Hinata thought. She never realized that Sakura would consider her that, but it felt nice knowing that she did. She thought her one as well.

"Don't tell her she looks too good, she hasn't even seen herself yet." Hanabi reminded the group.

"What?!" Sakura reacted.

"Hinata…" Tsunade spoke. "You really need to see how you look." She told her.

Hinata had been too nervous to turn around and see herself. If she wasn't used to the pressure of big events like this, she surely would be shaking. But the way Tsunade said she had to, it made her more willing to do it. She took a deep breath, and turned around slowly. She kept her head lowered, straightening her dress as she turned around. She didn't want anything to look off.

She lifted her head up, but still didn't see it. She had her eyes squeezed shut. Sakura walked up to her side.

"Just do it." she assured.

Hinata let out her breath, opening her eyes slowly.

It was like she was hit against a wall. All of the planning, preparation, questions, all the hassle that went into doing this- it never felt like it was real. But this, this made it real. Her standing there in a dress that was white, she didn't look like the person she always thought she was, she looked like the person that Naruto always talked about. She looked strong, confident, more mature, and beautiful even. She touched her face, watching as her reflection did the same thing.

"Don't cry now, save that for the ceremony." Sakura reminded her, and turned her head over to Tsunade. "Right?"

Sakura saw Tsunade standing in the corner, wiping her face. Hinata soon noticed too.

"Tsunade, are you crying?" Sakura asked as Hinata giggled at the sight.

"Damn it, it's like watching my own kids get married." She huffed, removing her arm from her face. Sakura joined Hinata in her laugh.

Someone else entered the room, just poking their head in.

"Sorry to interrupt, but everything is in place if you're ready to start." She said softly, awaiting a response.

Hinata glanced over all the girls in the room before she sighed happily. She looked straight at the woman standing in the doorway.

"Yes."

…

It was hot outside, at least to him. If he was in his normal clothes, nothing would be bothering him. But in the heavy wool jacket with two more layers underneath- he felt like he was on fire.

But, he didn't show it.

He looked confident, he stood there in front of everyone, and it really was everyone. Shops were closed, towns were deserted, and the echoes of your feet could be heard walking down the busiest of streets- but no one was even there to walk.

Everyone was here.

He thought that Hinata was joking when she said they would have to do it outside because so many people would be there, but the courtyard of the castle grounds, which stretched a half mile in length, was completely covered with people. Chairs were provided for the dignitaries, maybe about two hundred and fifty people. The other few thousands that seemed to pack in were all standing. He didn't even think there were this many people at Hinata's coronation.

Many of them were staring at him, and he knew it. He knew they didn't have a clue who he was, why Hinata had chosen him to marry, why they even cared to be there if it wasn't the union of two governing bodies- like most royal weddings were. He saw their eyes, saw their looks of confusion and worry.

But he didn't care.

He was there to marry her, to provide for her, to share his whole life with her. Not to impress these people who didn't even know who he was.

Shikamaru, who was standing next to him, leaned towards him.

"So how many people do you think are here just for the free welcome gift?" he joked.

Naruto leaned in towards him. "All of them" he joked back.

They stood there on the raised platform, it was about a foot off the ground, and was made from stone, permanently finding its home in the ground. It was raised so that everyone was able to see them, even if they couldn't hear. There was a small stand in the middle of it, saved for the master of the ceremony.

"Looks like it's about to start." Shikamaru said, pointing his finger off a ways. Naruto followed where it was, and he could see a horse being prepped. They had a wreath of flowers on its neck, and the saddle looked absolutely glittering in the sunlight. It was a Clydesdale.

"Yep, that looks right. Seems like the horse Hinata would choose." He confirmed.

He saw the side door of the castle open, with Sakura and Tsunade leading out first, then it was Hanabi. He knew Hinata would be right behind them.

He turned around sharply, facing Shikamaru. Shikamaru stared at him, wondering what he was doing. His eyes were to the sky and his mouth was pursed in a fine line across his face.

"…you okay?" he asked, unsure of what was happening.

"I just don't want to see her, ya know? I want to see her walk down to me the very first thing." He explained.

"Well what's with the face?"

"It's very hard _not_ to look at her."

Shikamaru sighed as he saw Tsunade, Hanabi, and Sakura coming over towards them as they walked across the yard and onto the platform.

Sakura leaned in to Shikamaru, Hanabi on the other side of her.

"What's he doing?" she whispered.

"Trying not to look at her." he whispered back.

"Oh." Sakura and Hanabi said curiously, a bit louder than they thought. Naruto didn't move.

"Well you all should go find your seats and I'll start this." Tsunade told the three of them.

Typically the task of marrying anyone, especially royalty, belonged to the parents. Typically the groom's father, but if they had all been alive it would have fallen to Hiashi. It was a bittersweet moment when they asked her to do it. She had been mentors to them both, and was the only living person that have really known both of them, aside from Hanabi.

She told Naruto to turn around, assuring him that Hinata was at the start of the aisle. He turned and faced sideways to the crowd, waiting for her to start.

She cleared her throat, and the people in the front got the message, and slowly it went throughout the crowd to be quiet. Tsunade looked down the long walkway at Hinata, who definitely had the attention of everyone around her. There was a break between where the seats stopped, and the crowd began. The seats were lined with soldiers who were hand-picked by Naruto and Hinata. At that break was where she stood, flowers of all sorts of varieties in her hand.

Tsunade breathed deep, remembering the script of what she was supposed to say. It was eloquent, and a bit much, but it was all just words at the end of the day. She started the ceremony.

"It… is a good day." She started out, her voice as loud as she could make it. She was glad that Naruto was prepared for it. "Any day where two people are joined together is a good day. To be joined in love is a precious gift that one does not find often. To be able to love someone whole-heartedly is a gift that many will never experience, but all dream of."

Tsunade thought that was enough for the scripted verbiage, nothing about this was special. She got through the first paragraph and that was plenty.

"For a love as strong as these two have, any day is a great day. They support, care for, and love each other in ways others truly can only dream of. He-" Tsunade gestured at Naruto to his surprise. "Came from nothing. He fought and strived to be better every day. He forged his own path, yet, I don't think there was any path that could have found him a better than our own Lady Hinata." She breathed, and Naruto gave her a confused look, not quite sure what she was doing.

This isn't what he was told she was going to say. He thought it was much better than the long drug out speech about love and nature or something, he didn't remember. He just hoped Hinata was okay with it.

"Lady Hinata, if you would."

She wasn't going to lie, she couldn't hear a word that Tsunade was saying, but it was obvious when she was supposed to start walking. They had laid a path of concrete with a red rug to go down the center, so she wouldn't be walking on the grass to steady her walk. The train on her dress ran long after her, a good fifteen feet. She tried to look refined as she went, but she couldn't help but worry when she noticed Naruto wasn't looking at her. She looked up at him, hiding her worried expression. She saw him take a deep breath. Then he turned to face her.

She stopped moving at his gaze. It was so intense, so focused on just her. It made her catch her breath in her throat. She knew that everyone was wondering what had happened between the two of them to cause her to stop, but she wasn't focused on them right now, she was focused on him.

His face broke only after staring at her for seconds. His shoulders raised as his mouth stretch across his face, almost like he was holding something back. She started walking again, slower, towards him. She saw his nose started to flare as she reached the start of the steps.

He started crying.

No wailing, nothing like that, but an emotional cry that made her want to as well. She was standing across from him, watching his tears flow from his eyes almost nonstop.

Tsunade looked like she didn't know what to do. She wasn't expecting him to just break down like he was. Hinata smiled at him, reaching out a hand to his arm.

"You okay?" She asked sweetly, almost shedding a tear herself.

He nodded his head, moving his other hand over hers.

"I-i-I just… this i-Is so… so real… and y-you look just l-like I thought you… would" he muttered in between hiccups. It was only loud enough for her and Tsunade to hear, but clear enough that his words hit her heart hard.

She held her flowers up to her face, almost hiding behind them.

"W-what do you mean by that?" She bashfully asked.

He took a breath, and pulled up the sleeves on his arm best he could to wipe his face.

"I-I mean…" He slowed his breathing, keeping it together "You look like Hinata I feel in love with, the one I-I want to marry. The one I see every day. You look just like… you." He answered.

She didn't look over the top, or extravagant, or uncomfortable. She looked just like she did any other day. He noticed her hair was different and of course her dress was stunning on her, but she still looked like herself.

She hid in her flowers more, blushing rather hard.

Tsunade interrupted.

"Are you two done?" she mocked quietly.

Suddenly it occurred to the both of them that they were the center of attention to all the people next to them. They all saw him cry and her blush and hide behind her flowers as they interacted. The people in the first few rows could have probably heard them, but beyond that they both wondered what it must have looked like.

The both straightened themselves out, regaining their composure while Tsunade continued.

"It is my honor, and privilege, to unite these two." She leaned in closer to the both of them.

"You will repeat after me."

They both grabbed their left hands together, and Hinata cold feel how much he was shaking. She didn't think it was because of his nerves, but he was excited. His smile was beaming brightly, waiting for Tsunade to continue. She looked over to her as well.

"With my life…"

They both repeated, turning their heads in towards each other. Neither was speaking so the crowd could hear, they were speaking to each other.

"I promise to love and respect you. My body and soul will do you no harm. Your happiness will always be before my own. To have and hold as my own for the rest of our days, through sickness and in health, for all the days we are given together."

He stepped in, closing the gap between him and her. She met him in the middle with her bouquet of flowers against both of them. Their hands were in between them, right underneath their heads.

"This I swear to you."

He kissed her hand, and she kissed his, as a symbol of being on equal terms. Then they lowered their hands, and kissed each other.

There was a roar of applause from the back of the crowd, from the people who couldn't hear anything. The ones sitting up close just seemed to clap, not caring either way.

It was hard for Sakura to act with the crowd she was with, just clapping like she didn't care with the rest of the people around her, but even Shikamaru had a smile on his face. As she watched the two of them separate from their shared kiss she could see Hinata's small glance down and barely bite her lip. Her face was blushing, but not as bad as it used to. She wished that she could see Naruto's face, but she was facing his back.

"How long do you think they're going to stand up there and look at each other?" Shikamaru asked Sakura as he leaned down towards her.

"Oh… who knows really? The way she's looking at him it could be hours." She answered truthfully.

Sakura was proven wrong, but it did take a few moments for them to break their gaze at each other. They both turned in and Sakura held back her laugh as she saw the grin across his face. She was proud of him for not seeming nervous in the slightest. Everyone stood up.

They paused for a moment, waiting. Sakura wasn't sure what they were doing, but they seemed confident. They stared out into the crowd of people who were looking back up at them. Sakura was about to ask what they were doing when she heard the sound of swords unsheathing.

She turned her head around and saw all the guards who were lining the rows of chairs were holding up their swords, making an archway. She raised her eyebrows.

"That's neat…" she murmured.

"Arch of steel I believe, something that only royals can get. It's supposed to symbolize the relationship between the military and the royal family." Shikamaru explained as Hinata and Naruto-linked arm and arm- began walking down the stage.

"The arch is supposed to act like a shield, symbolizing protection. However, they use their swords and the couple walks underneath as to show how much faith they have in them that they won't strike." He continued.

"How do you know that?" Sakura asked him as she continued to clap.

Shikamaru shrugged. "I had a week's notice in between him telling me I was his advisor and me arriving to do the job… I spent a lot of time reading up on this stuff."

Sakura turned her head back around, watching as they reached the end of the aisle. They both stopped and kissed again, in front of the crowd that had no seats. The cries and yells from them were almost deafening as they echoed off the castles stone walls.

The horse from earlier was still there, the wreath of flowers vivid against its dark skin and mane. He helped her on top of the horse, then himself in front of her.

She turned back to Shikamaru, still shocked that weddings were so fast. She remembered them being a lot longer when she was younger.

"Now to the party?" she asked him, watching as people started to clear out, walking every which way.

He smirked. "I wouldn't really call it a party…"

…..

The amount of people inside the castle was dramatically different from outside. The main ceremony was for anyone that had wanted to attend. Everything else was by invite only. Most were still royals from other countries, but also friends of the couple. It wasn't a big celebration, but a feast, then toasts given, followed by a dance from the two of them, and then the night was over. Tomorrow was Naruto's coronation as King, and they decided not to merge it into one day. Right now it was around six, since the ceremony started at four.

They were sitting at a table together- Naruto, Hinata, Tsunade, Shikamaru, and Sakura. She was sitting at the main table with the four of them because she was to give the toast. The toast that she been working on for weeks trying to memorize and make sure it was perfect. She was shocked when asked to do it, thinking there was someone more qualified, but both of them agreed they wanted it to be her. Hanabi was too young and Tsunade was already going to marry them. She was the one that made sense.

After the tears of her thanking them came the fear of messing up. She must have re-written the toast seventeen times before finding the right sentence to start it with.

She was staring at the food on her plate, listening to the conversations everyone else was having around her table. Shikamaru wasn't really saying anything as he was seated on the end next to her. To her right was Naruto, then Hinata, Hanabi, and Tsunade. Hanabi, Tsunade, and Hinata were all having a conversation of their own, and Naruto was doing the same thing she was, just listening.

"So, you nervous at all?" Sakura asked him, trying to work out her own.

"About what?" He replied, turning his head towards her.

"You know, everything. You have a coronation tomorrow, doesn't that make you nervous?" she further explained.

He chuckled lightly at her question before he leaned back in his chair, staring forward.

"I've been doing the job for the past month, I'm not worried about that. And tomorrow will be exactly like Hinata's was, and all she had to do was answer some questions and wave to a crowd." He turned his attention back to her with a smile.

"So not really."

Sakura nodded her head in agreement, finding no reason he should be nervous. She turned back towards her food, continuing the conversation.

"So now that you two are married what does Hanabi get to do? I mean you two will eventually have kids and then they're the ones who will take over the throne. What will she do?" she asked before taking a bite.

Naruto shrugged.

"That's something she gets to decide. I know she wants to travel, but Hinata thinks she's too young to go alone."

Sakura agreed with that. She was too young and too important to be on her own.

"But you two want children, right?" she asked, having no other reason to ask aside from genuine curiosity.

He laughed again, leaning forward.

"Are you kidding? We want a bunch of 'em!" he happily answered.

Hinata turned around at his comment, it being louder than what else he had said during their conversation.

"Hm?"

They both turned to acknowledge her.

"We're just talking." He said with a warm smile, which she returned.

Tsunade poked her head out from the end of the table, giving Sakura a look. She knew what it meant.

She moved her chair back slightly, giving her room to stand.

"Wish me luck." She muttered to Hinata and Naruto as she stood. She cleared her throat and straightened her back.

The whole room fell silent, knowing what was happening. The few hundred that were in the room all turned their eyes to her. It felt a bit overwhelming for them to all be staring at her, waiting, judging. She swallowed nervously, but took a deep breath.

"What an idiot." She started, making sure to catch their attention. She saw a few eyebrows raise, which is what she wanted. She even saw Hinata glance over at Naruto.

"How did he even get here… he's never going to make it… they must have felt sorry for him." She continued, before changing her demeanor.

"These were all phrases I heard when I first met this man next to me." Hinata bit back a laugh. "He was loud-mouthed, annoying, couldn't make above average in any test we took during our military training together, and at one point I even said the same things." Sakura shook her head at her past self.

"But, he excelled in fighting and instinct. He could make split second decisions that no one else could've thought about, and pull them off. He had stamina like no other, and eventually towards the end of our year together his scores did get better. Eventually he graduated, just like the rest of us." She took a breath, making sure to pause and let everyone gather their thoughts.

"Our first actual assignment we went on was to escort the then Princess Hinata to the Wind Country. And that was when Naruto said his first comment about Queen Hinata to me."

"I mean she looks like every other girl."

She saw the few people hold back their drink at her words, and she heard Hinata whisper ' _did you really say that?'_ to Naruto.

"But I think since then his views on her changed. Ever since that assignment, they've been inseparable. He saved her that night when they both fell down a drop off after an ambush, he was appointed her personal guard by our late King himself. And yet something always bothered me about it, but in the end is something that truly defines their relationship…" she looked over at the two of them.

"He never called you anything other than Hinata. He didn't see you as royalty or above him or for someone you weren't. You were Hinata, and that was It." they both smiled at her. Hinata's was warm and sweet, whereas his was a bit embarrassed, yet endearing just the same.

She turned back towards the crowd.

"And she never corrected it. She was fine with it, and to a point even liked the break of formality she had with him. She was free to be herself and to show who she was to him. She could be weak and scared in situations where others depended on her, and he wouldn't turn away. He thought of her as a person before anyone else. So while you all may not know the man sitting next to me as well as I do, or even the woman next to him, I can give you my upmost confidence that these two will be happy, be marry, and never stop loving each other because they'll never have a reason to."

She picked up her glass of wine from the table.

"To the couple." She raised her glass.

Everyone one else stood up and did the same thing, taking a drink together.

Sakura sat back down with as much grace as she could muster before she relaxed her shoulders and slumped back in her seat, watching the crowd go back to their own conversations.

"That was… really nice." Naruto told her, not knowing another way to thank her. Sakura turned her head towards him, returning his smile.

"It's the least I can do." She assured him.

He turned his head back to Hinata, and she nodded at him. The both got up from their chairs and walked over to the area of the room secluded for dancing, knowing that it would be next.

"How long did it take you to come up with that?" Shikamaru asked her as the lights lowered in the room- leaving only a few on around the two of them.

"Oh… a while. I don't usually write." She answered, leaning back towards Shikamaru while still keeping her eyes forward.

The music started, slow and sweet.

"Do you know much about her, Queen Hinata?" he continued.

Sakura shook her head. "I know what Naruto has told me, but my conversations with her have been very small. She's always been nice and everything, but I don't really know much about her, you know?" she explained.

It felt bad for her to say, but it was the truth. She had shared conversations only recently with her. She knew her favorite color was purple, but nothing else. There was the obvious things like how smart she was and how she was much quieter when she is around people she trusts, but those she had learned from just being around her more. Most of what she likes, dislikes, her sense of humor, and things like that were a grey area.

But she was getting there.

"I'm just trying to learn as much as I can before I have to actually start interacting with her, so I know how to approach her." Shikamaru explained, keeping his voice lowered as the two of them continued to dance.

It wasn't a fancy dance, nothing to show off. But it was intimate, and close. It wasn't meant to be a formality to start off the night like most, it was about them.

"You know," Naruto said as they were swaying to the music around them. "I really can't wait for tonight."

Hinata smiled at him, figuring she knew what he meant, but she asked anyway.

"What do you mean?"

He looked at her sweetly, leaning his head in closer to hers.

"It's the first night we get to spend as husband and wife together."

She rested her head against his own as they continued, breathing in deeply.

"A year ago I would have never thought this is where I would be today." He explained to her. "But there's no place I would rather be."

….

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ho hum HO HUM that's the last chapter of this arc.
> 
> This was really… hard to write, part of the reason it took so long. Other part is because finals week and also I'm just lazy.
> 
> SO! I have the first… 8 or so chapters planned out for the next arc, but I want to get it fully planned out, unlike I did with this one. (I didn't plan the last two chapters out but it'll be our secret) so once I get that all fully mapped out we will start that!
> 
> Next arc is going to have more Sasuke (I mean it is the last one), more action, more development, more… like the first arc. This one was all about their relationship, so the next one is the CLIMAX! Of our story.
> 
> Also fun fact this story is longer that The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien apparently.


	31. Chapter 31

The past few months have been pure bliss for the both of them. Nothing had yet to go wrong. They worked as a team and even though there was much to do every day it never felt like there was because they balanced it in between the two of them. Resolutions were found faster, meetings were shorter, and the two of them constantly were receiving praise for their actions. There wasn't anything they couldn't accomplish together. The other nations were happy, the people were happy, everyone seemed happy.

So why wasn't she?

It had nothing to do with her relationship or her lifestyle, all those things were great. Her sister was always around and happy, Naruto was a constant support and loved her so much that even away from him she never felt alone.

It was her. Her inadequacy to do the one thing that every King and Queen had to do. Her parents, her father's parents, and so on- all of them never had a problem until her.

A child.

Not only for the sake of a family or because her and Naruto wanted to- which of course they did- but it was also the fact of having an heir. If something were to happen to them, the child with all the help they can receive, would be next in line. Without one, it would fall to her sister, something that had never happened before in the history of their nation.

No royal family had ever been unable to have a child. So why couldn't she?

It wasn't like they weren't trying, for the past two months it was almost every night. In the moment it never felt like that's what they were trying to do- they were just loving one another.

She huffed, explaining her woes to Sakura.

"You two still have plenty of time! You're so young and to be parents already? I haven't even found someone yet!" Sakura retorted.

They were spending the evening together. Hinata was starting to feel sorry for Naruto because it felt like ever since their wedding Sakura was becoming her friend more than his. She liked it though, having another girl to talk to that wasn't one, her sister; or two, hired to help her. She genuinely cared about Hinata's problems and she was thankful for that.

They both were soaking in the bath hall, the seam rising and making the room foggy. They both had been drinking. Hinata was drinking tea- just in case.

Sakura, on the other hand, had almost finished a bottle of wine.

"I know that, but it's different for us. I wouldn't mind waiting until I was older, but it's almost like a requirement to 'continue down the line.' So to speak."

Sakura sighed in agreement, putting her hand on her chin to think.

"Hm… maybe you two are just unlucky." She concluded.

Hinata leaned her head back, staring at the ceiling.

"Maybe…" she mumbled. It was the best answer she had so far. It was also the only answer she had gotten so far. She didn't want to go to Tsunade because knowing her then there would be medical tests involved to find an answer when really all she wanted to do was to vent about it. And there was no way she would talk to her sister, just too embarrassing.

Sakura looked down at her fingers as she was holding her glass of wine.

"Gah! Hinata my fingers are starting to pruuuuuuuuune…" she grumbled, seeming upset about it. Then she looked over at Hinata with a smile. "… So I'm gunna get out."

Hinata laughed at her sudden change in attitude before deciding the same thing. It had been almost an hour that they were in the water.

Sakura was already drying her hair rather vigorously before Hinata even reached for her towel. Hinata started drying her hair as well, but in a more calm fashion. She envied Sakura's short hair and how easy it looked to manage. Maybe she should cut hers…

She realized that she had been staring at Sakura's hair while thinking about, but before she broke contact she noticed that Sakura was staring at her, rather focused.

Hinata moved the towel over her body, not sure why she was staring at her.

"W-what?" Hinata asked.

Sakura walked over to her and bend down.

"Move your towel." She commanded.

Hinata hesitantly did what she asked. Sakura put a hand on her lower side and Hinata didn't understand why she was blushing, but it soon faded as she realized what Sakura was feeling.

It was her scar. Back at her coronation, when she was stabbed through, it was that scar. It was almost completely healed, just a patch of rough skin was left there.

"When did you get this?"

"Oh… it was from the incident at my coronation." She answered sheepishly, not having told many people what happened.

"Okay, what happened?" Sakura nudged on. Hinata knew she was going to ask.

"I-I was stabbed… with a sword… But it's fine now! I'm surprised you even noticed!" she tried to make it not sound as serious as it was at the time.

"Did it stab you all the way through?" she asked. Hinata nodded her head slowly.

Sakura got up slowly from the ground, looking at Hinata with worried eyes.

"You ever think that could be why?" she more stated than asked.

Hinata put a hand over the spot, feeling the rough skin.

Truth is she hadn't thought of it. Most days she didn't even notice it was there, and the times she had thought about it since the incident were far and few between. The location was right about her hip-bone, so it made sense that if when she was stabbed it just... hit the right places.

"Not really…" Hinata said quietly, still feeling the rough spot.

Sakura felt her change of tone, and saw the worried look in her eye- realizing she had made a mistake.

"I-I mean it's not like that's, you know, _that's_ the right answer! I mean there could be ooooother reasons why, like like like how I said earlier maybe you two are just unlucky and need to keep trying more! Just keep…" She punched Hinata's arm slightly. "Going at it, you know?" Sakura could feel the alcohol in her actions, wishing she hadn't drank so much within the hour.

Hinata gave her a fake smile, hoping she wouldn't be able to tell.

"Yeah, maybe we'll just keep…" she punched Sakura in a similar fashion. "Going at it."

Hinata finished drying off and changed her clothes into her nightwear before wishing Sakura goodnight. Sakura certainly didn't have to go back all the way home, she was more than welcome to stay there if she had liked to. But Sakura didn't care for how big and lavish everything was. She liked her small home.

She waved Sakura off as she walked out the side door of the castle, the fastest route to get home for her. Hinata bid goodnight to the two guards standing and watching for the nightshift before she went back inside.

She opened the door slowly to their bedroom, stepping inside without greeting him. The first few nights of coming in here to find him already in bed were a welcome change, and inside she still felt like an excited child every time it happened. It was nice to not be alone in such a big room anymore. The walls and windows, the dressers and desks- they were all the same as they had been, but he made them feel different.

But tonight, she just didn't feel it.

"Ah, How was your evening with Sakura?" he asked as he fixed the older shirt he put on to sleep in. Of all the things he could have, nicer clothes to wear to bed were something he didn't want.

"Oh, it was fine." She gave him the same smile that she had given Sakura.

But it didn't work on him.

"…So what'd you two do?" he asked, knowing something was wrong.

"We just… had dinner, took a bath… had some wine and parted ways." She said honestly, not divulging more. She sat down on the edge of the bed, looking down at the ground before falling backwards in a sigh, laying across the bed. Naruto took a seat down next to her.

"I'm hoping you know that _I_ know you better to know that something is wrong." He said, turning his head back towards her with a sly smile.

Hinata just turned to her side.

He dropped his smile, knowing that she never just ignores him like that. Something must really be wrong.

"Hey… " He slipped out as he laid down next to her, wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her in close to him.

"Tell me what happened, okay?"

She took a breath and rubbed her face more into the bed before talking.

"Well, Sakura helped me realize something." She stated, wondering if that was enough to keep him satisfied.

"Okay, what was that?" he continued. Hinata's plan hadn't worked. She swallowed what she could.

"That I might be…" she hesitated, trying to find the right words. "The problem."

Naruto didn't understand what she meant. He brought his other arm underneath him to hold him up while he moved his face closer to hers.

"Problem? How are you a problem?" he asked, not sure what she was trying to mean by that.

She, not looking at him, took the hand he had around her waist and moved it down, over the spot she had grown more familiar with over the past hour. Naruto could feel the rough spot under her clothing, but still didn't understand.

"I still do-

"That's the reason we can't… have kids…"

The words were painful to say, she didn't know it would even be this hard to do. They felt heavy as they left her throat. She felt like she just wanted to escape, but she couldn't even imagine how he must be feeling.

He was the one that had done it.

She could feel his grip tighten over the spot, balling the fabric of her nightdress in his hand.

"She saw the mark and the look on her face was just so intense as she stared." Hinata shook her head. "It was like she knew."

"Don't… say things like that." He muttered. It sounded like his teeth were gritted. Was he angry?

She turned her head towards him, not expecting him to be angry. His eyes were shut tight, his eyebrows furrowed, his teeth gritted, and his head was turned to the side. Was he angry at her?

"What do you mean?" she asked, turning her body towards him now.

"Don't… say that you're the problem." He rolled over, sitting up with his legs off the bed.

"If anything, it's me. I'm the one that did it to you." He grimaced.

She wasn't expecting him to be angry, upset or sorry was more what she was thinking, but complete anger was new. The words were all the same as what she imagined- the reason why she didn't want to tell him in the first place- but the emotions just seemed… off.

She joined him, sitting up on the bed. She placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down.

He felt her warm hand on his shoulder, and it brought him back down from the rush he was on. He took a deep breath before looking back at her.

"Sorry, It's nothing you did, it's just…" he hesitated. "Since the day we were married I've thought of that, about what if I made it to where _all this_ was a possibility." He admitted, still trying to steady his breathing.

"And I was just too scared to say anything." He muttered, gripping the side of the bed.

She had a hard time figuring out the right words to say, but any words would be better than the silence between them. She hadn't known this was an issue that he was worrying about alone for months, not saying anything.

"Why didn't you say anything? You were scared?" she tried to clarify.

"I just… it was my fault, and I didn't want it to be true and then you hate me for taking that away from you. I thought that if I just waited, it wouldn't be true." He wasn't looking at her anymore, no matter what she did. She moved her hand along his back, tried to maneuver into his eyesight, but he just couldn't do it. Finally she gave up.

"Listen, in the circumstances you were under, there was nothing you could have done. You didn't control what happened, and I'm not ever going to hate you for It." she explained. "i-if we can't… then that's fine." She sighed out. Truly she hadn't come to terms with the situation, she didn't want to- but she would have to.

He sighed.

"I know what happens then. If your sister has one before you do…"

"Then she takes the title- and that's fine too." She finally grabbed his face. "I wouldn't care. Being a ruler doesn't make me nearly as happy as you do." She assured him.

"Bu-"

"Besides, we still have a long time before Hanabi should even think about those kinds of things." She tried to joke, and he cracked a smile at her. " _And_ Sakura could be wrong still, maybe we're just… unlucky."

He put his hand over the one she was holding on his face, squeezing it slightly.

"That's always a possibility." He agreed.

She pulled his face in closer to hers, making their foreheads touch. She moved her thumb down his cheek as he stared into her.

"I mean… there's only one way to find out."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First chapter has got to be short mmhm mmmmmmhmm.
> 
> I actually planned out this ennnnntire arc already in notepad. Some chapters are going to be a bit shorter, some are going to be much… much longer. I might throw some unplanned things in every now and then, but right now we're looking at… 25 ish chapters? That's prone to change.
> 
> Anyway, that's all I have to say.


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is also a bit shorter than the typical chapters that I write, but I didn't want to overcrowd it, since it's pretty impoooortant.
> 
> Also, im hyped about this entire arc.

The leaves were changing with the season, turning from their dark green to bright orange in a matter of a week. Some were starting to fall, others were trying to hold tight to their positions on the trees, not wanting to break rank. Hinata felt like she could relate to the trees, wanting to break off and be free, but also wanting to stay firm where she was.

You see, she had a secret.

She had been feeling off, different even, for a few weeks now. She thought it was just her mind playing tricks, but last week Tsunade confirmed it for her, and it was like a weight had been lifted off her chest. In the moment, she didn't know to cry or laugh or feel accomplished, or maybe all three. But she did know one thing. It was hard to keep secret.

Every time she was with him, which is most of the time, every single sentence she spoke she just wanted to blurt it out, but she fought it back, saving it for a special date. It was only a week away, so she just needed to last that long and everything would be fine, it'd be a nice gift.

His birthday was just next week, and she was trying her hardest to save it for then- to tell him. She couldn't wait to see the look on his face, the happy smile, and the look of relief after their conversation almost a month ago, it was hard keeping it in. The only other person who knew was Tsunade, and Hinata made her swear not to tell anyone.

"Whatcha lookin' at?"

Hinata turned her head from the window she was staring out of. The same windows where her and Naruto first kissed, the same ones where her and her sister used to play.

"Oh, just looking at the trees. All the work slows down during the fall and winter, so I finally have a chance to relax." She told her sister with a smile.

Hanabi hopped up on the window sill, sitting and staring at the same trees. She stared for about a minute, watching the wind knocking down some of the leaves.

"You think this is relaxing?" she asked curiously.

Hinata laughed slightly at the comment from her sister.

"Little things like this… yeah." She answered.

Hanabi just gave her a confused look, not understanding what she meant.

"Well, anyway it's time for dinner, you know that?" Hanabi stated as she hopped back down from the sill.

Hinata took one last look over the scenic view from the windows before replying.

"Yeah, I know. Come on." She replied, moving off the die of the window and towards the dining hall downstairs.

...

As Hanabi opened the door to the dining hall, she was greeted by running into someone's chest.

" _Boof_ " was the noise that left her mouth as she made impact.

Naruto stepped away from her, shocked that she hit him.

"Ah, sorry Hanabi, I thought it was Hinata." He admitted, not knowing she would run straight into him.

"Looking for me?" Hinata said from the opening of the doorway with a smile on her face.

"Yes!" he said, waiting for Hanabi to move to grab her hands. He gave her a kiss before leading her over to the table.

It was moments like these when it took all her will power to keep it her secret hidden. Not even her sister knew, and she didn't want to blurt it out in front of her or even any of the kitchen workers.

He guided her to her chair, and pulled it out happily for her to sit down. He always acted over the top between to the two of them, something Hanabi found to get very old very fast. She rolled her eyes as she rubbed her nose, not realizing how hard his chest was.

He sat down across from Hanabi, and to Hinata's right.

"So…" Naruto started, getting both of their attention. "Tsunade told me something today."

Hinata almost spit out the water she was drinking. She put her chest to help it down with a cough. If Tsunade did what Hinata thought she did, Hinata would be sure to not speak to her for a year.

Naruto put a hand on her shoulder. "You okay?" he asked, not knowing the reason behind her action.

She nodded her head, gesturing for him to continue in between her small coughs.

"Right, well… she found a picture of my mom in some unsorted documents, she even said I could have it!" he told her excitedly.

Her shoulders relaxed as he explained himself, thankful for his answer.

"Ooh, what'd she look like?" Hanabi asked curiously. Hinata forgot that she had never seen her before.

"Hm… like me, but with red hair, pretty and long. And her eyes were grey, not blue." He explained. "The picture is in our bedroom, but I can show you later."

Hinata spoke up. "And she found it in a pile of unsorted things?"

One of the kitchen workers started laying bowls down of some sort of soup.

Naruto nodded, thanking the man who placed the food.

"She thinks that my dad just kept it around so he could look at her." he shrugged, not really knowing the reason.

"Oh… I can imagine it." Hinata agreed. "Did Tsunade find anything e-"

Hinata was cut off by the door to the dining hall opening. The main door that Hinata had come through just moments ago.

It was Shikamaru.

It looked like he was catching his breath as his eyes focused on the table with the three of them there.

He held up his hand. "You two… come with me" he panted, straightening himself out. Naruto and Hinata looked at each, wondering if the other knew what was going on.

Hinata turned over to Hanabi.

"Sorry, you'll have to eat without us." Hinata told her before moving out of her chair. She huffed and crossed her arms, but didn't protest beyond that.

They followed Shikamaru out of the dining hall, and Hinata thought they were heading for the front entrance of the castle.

"You want to tell me what's going on?" Naruto asked him, concerned.

Shikamaru turned his head to the side but kept walking.

"We've gotten three reports today that people have seen Sasuke in the Far East, near the ocean." He explained, keeping up the pace.

"Wait, you mean that Sasuke? Are we sure it's him?" Hinata asked, trying to keep up with the two of them.

"We can't be sure, but we've never received three reports in the same day about him, let alone in the same area." Shikamaru continued.

"So, you're wanting us to go and scout out the area?" Naruto concluded.

"Yes, and I need you two to approve it and pick a team."

"I'm going myself." Naruto told him, walking faster.

Both Shikamaru and Hinata had the same reaction.

"What?!" they exclaimed, stopping in their tracks.

Naruto turned back to look at them, surprised by their reaction.

"What do you mean? Out of everyone that is alive, both me and Sakura are the ones that know Sasuke the best. I'll take her with me."

Shikamaru shook his head. "No, no you can't do that, your job is to stay here, not to go on assignments anymore." Shikamaru tried to reason.

"No no" Naruto mocked back. "If this really is Sasuke, I'm the only one that can take him if he tries anything."

Shikamaru stepped closer to him. "We aren't trying to cause a scene, we just want to gather information. If anything, we would want to capture him without disturbing the people."

Naruto leaned in closer to him.

"The people are already disturbed if there have been three reported sightings of him in the area. Don't you think they'd feel safer if I was there?" he retorted.

Shikamaru just shook his head. "You aren't getting it. We aren't trying to capture him, we just want to confirm the reports and gather information, until we know more about him we don't want to engage! Besides the trip itself is three days to the coast, however long it takes us there, and then a three-day trip back- I mean you could be gone for a month!" Shikamaru argued.

Hinata stood there, watching as they went back and forth. She agreed with Shikamaru- he shouldn't engage someone they don't know anything about. They needed as much information as they could get before they did anything like that. She knew Naruto wasn't the patient type, and having to wait while they hid and watched would drive him insane. Not only all that, but he couldn't be gone for a month, there was just no way. She needed him here.

"Uhm…" she interrupted. Even though it was quiet and calm, it both caused them to stop and look at her.

"Would you mind giving us a minute Shikamaru… alone?" she asked of him, putting her hand on Naruto's shoulder. Naruto was looking at her curiously.

"Sure, maybe you can talk some sense into him." Shikamaru told her, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'll be waiting with Tsunade near the training grounds for you."

With that, he turned and started walking down the stairway. Hinata waited until she heard a door open and close before she started talking to him.

Or well, he started talking to her.

"You don't agree with him, do you?" He asked, dumbfounded that she would.

"Yes, I do." She answered confidently, crossing her arms at his tone. "What do you think is going to happen if you go with them?"

"We go, we find him, we capture him, and bring him back here." He answered bluntly.

"Okay, but what if it's not that simple? Say you do go with them and it takes a month or even longer to find him? You know what's going to happen?" she asked him, already having an answer.

"Then it'll ta-

"The people in that town will start to worry. An unexpected visit from you is enough already to do that, and you staying there for more than a day will already be enough for rumors to start." She explained to him. She was trying to keep in mind that he never had to think of these things before, but she knew how stubborn he could be.

Naruto ran his head through his hair.

"If multiple people are reporting him being there, I'm sure they're already worried. If I'm there then wouldn't that make them feel more safe? Besides, I'm the one with the best bet of beating him if he tries anything."

Hinata took a deep breath.

"We aren't trying to capture him, we want information. We don't want to stir up anything if we don't know what we're up against."

"He threatened us and you just want to let him walk around when we finally have a lead?" he asked her.

"No that's not what I'm saying, what I'm saying is that I don't want you to go because you aren't trained in gathering information like the units we have are. We don't even know if it's really him!" she exclaimed.

"But what if the teams we send have to confront him and are injured or captured or even killed!"

"But what if that happened to you!"

The noise seemed to bring them back down from their heated debate. Hinata didn't know how worked up she had gotten, and he hadn't realized how loud he was talking, surely grabbing the attention of anyone that could hear. Hinata rubbed her arms, ashamed that she had spoken so upset with him for not understanding. He sighed, pulling his hand around her neck.

"I'm sorry, but you know none of that would happen to me." He tried to assure her, seeing how her eyes were starting to gloss over.

"I just don't want to take that risk right now… we need you here." She admitted quietly, moving her eyes to the side.

"Need me here? I'm sure that you and Hanabi will be fine without me for a week or two." He confidently stated.

But Hinata just shook her head. She closed her eyes with a smile- Naruto could see the tears pool around her eyelashes. He was confused as to why she was crying.

She grabbed the hand that was around her neck and slowly moved it down. She placed his hand that was much bigger than hers right in the middle of her stomach.

She opened her eyes and the look on her face will be one that he will never forget. The sincerity of her smile, that innocent- happy look of her eyes with a line of tears waiting to fall over. The tone of her voice was melodic and soft.

" _We_ need you here."

His shoulders raised, and she felt his hand tense against her own. He firmed the grip on her stomach, feeling him start to shake. His own eyes started to do the same thing hers were doing as he let it sink in. his whole body tensed, thinking about what she said. He never thought about how he would react when she would tell, if ever, but he certainly didn't think he wouldn't say anything. He had thought about this moment so much, but never what to ask after the fact.

"…How… How long have you known?" he asked with his own voice cracking this time.

"Just a week." She admitted, resting her head against his shoulder as he kept his hand on her stomach.

He buried his own face into her hair as he cried, joining her. His other hand he put on her shoulder.

"Why didn't you… tell me?" he whispered to her.

"I was waiting till your birthday." She confessed, hearing his chuckle at the idea.

"Yeah… that would have been a nice present." He agreed.

She heard him start to hiccup with his tears as he buried his head deeper against her hair. She rubbed her hand over his back while she tried to stop crying.

"I'm just so…so happy." He mumbled through her hair, gripping her shoulder tighter. She nodded her head in agreement, letting out an elated sigh.

He took a deep breath before pulling away from her and wiping his face with his arm. His other hand never left her stomach.

She cleared her throat before continuing.

"So, I want you here… with us. Okay?" she asked him, wiping her own eyes. He nodded.

"I promise I will." He answered confidently, looking back at her. He finally moved his hand away from her stomach, wrapping it around her waist. He put his forehead against her own.

"I'll stay right here." He said with a smile.

She closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of him close to her. It wasn't the reveal she was wanting for it, but if he was happy she didn't think it mattered anymore. Their family was growing and that's all that really mattered.

He kissed her forehead, moving her bangs over to do so. He was more expecting her running over to him and not being able to contain her own excitement. He was surprised that she had kept it a secret for a day, let alone a week. While he didn't know what all would be changing in such a short time, he was completely elated at the thought of having a family. Their own family. Their own child. One that he could hold and love just as much as he loved her.

"I think we need to go meet Shikamaru, yeah?" she reminded him.

"I guess we should." He agreed with a sigh, not wanting to leave this moment. He knew if they didn't though, Shikamaru would come looking for them. He nuzzled his face into her neck one more time before turning around. He reached back for her hand after taking a few steps.

"You coming with me?" he asked with a smile. She reciprocated the smile, extending her hand to his.

They slowly walked down the carpeted staircase, Naruto never letting go of her hand. She kept sneaking glances at him, looking at the smile that seemed permanently glued to his face. He eventually caught her looking at him when they reached the bottom of the stairs. They shared a look at each other before continuing down the hallway.

"So… does anyone else know?" he wondered, still holding her hand.

Hinata shook her head slowly.

"Just you, me, and Tsunade." She assured him.

"We should keep it that way." Naruto commented. "Well, tell Hanabi, but no one else. Not until we have to."

Hinata regretfully agreed, knowing his reasoning.

She was almost like a sitting duck. There were so many things that could harm her and her child that would never have been an issue beforehand. Any sort of injury, running, horse riding, specific medicines- all were potential dangers to their child. Even beyond that, the fact that she was pregnant was enough for her to be targeted by anyone. Her life wasn't just hers anymore, and everyone would know that. She would give her life for her country; giving the life of her child was something else entirely.

They met up with Shikamaru at the entrance to the training grounds. He was already standing there with Shikamaru.

He huffed as she saw them approaching.

"I hope you knocked some sense into him." Shikamaru hoped. Hinata laughed.

"Yeah… she did." Naruto replied, rather embarrassed about the situation. Hinata saw Tsunade raise an eyebrow at his comment.

"I wish I had that kind of control over you sometimes… how stubborn you can be sometimes is so troublesome."

Naruto laughed at his statement, scratching the side of his face.

"Yeah, sorry about that." He admitted.

Tsunade interrupted.

"Well, regardless of how stubborn you are, we still have work to do."

Naruto and Hinata both turned their attention towards her.

"Right."

….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I just want everyone to be proud of the fact that Shikamaru hasn't said troublesome until this chapter.
> 
> Also shoutout to all the google searches ive done bout pregnancy over the past week in preparation.


	33. Chapter 33

"I just can't believe you didn't tell me first."

Hanabi tried to act upset but because of how excited she was it was hard to hide it. Hinata had just told her an hour ago about the baby. She just casually mentioned it while they were walking back from dinner and Hanabi started squealing about it in the hallway, getting the attention of a few workers that were passing by. Hinata smiled at them trying to cover up what was happening and then pulled her sister into her bedroom. Everything was great until Hanabi asked if Naruto knew. Hinata replied that of course he did, he was the first person she told.

Meaning Hinata didn't tell her before him.

Hanabi knew that he was the father and all that, but she was her little sister! She has a right to know.

"Hanabi, just be grateful I told you at all." Hinata reminded her as she pulled out a dress from her closet, what she was going to wear tomorrow. "The public doesn't even know."

Hanabi waved her hand, plopping back on the bed.

"I know I know… you can't. It'll make you an easy target and so the later they find out the better- you don't have to tell me…" Hanabi saved Hinata the time. She watched her sister look at the two dresses in front of her, deciding which one to wear.

"But I do have one question." She stated. Hinata turned her head to the side.

"What's that?"

"Why bother telling them in the first place?"

Hinata laughed, not to mock her but simply because she found it funny. She picked her dress- the blue one- and laid it out over next to the bedroom door so that it would be pressed before the morning.

"Because at some point we just can't hide it. Even if they lock me up here, castle workers are going to notice, rumors will start, and it'll go from there. We'd rather the public hear it from us." She explained.

This time Hanabi laughed.

"Oh yeah, you're going to swell up like a balloon!" she joked, watching her sister roll her eyes.

"Hanabi…that's not very nice to say."

"Hey Hey, what are you going to name her, huh? You could name her after Naruto's mom, or even ours."

Hinata shook her head, sitting down next to her sister.

"We decided a long time ago to not name them after anyone, we want them to be their own person." Hinata paused. " _AND_ we don't know if it'll be a boy or a girl, so don't start assuming." She warned.

"Well there's nothing wrong with hoping for a girl, right?" Hanabi asked.

Hinata laughed at her sister, looking back at her as she was laying across her bed.

"I guess not, I just don't want you to get your hopes up." Hinata explained.

"You could just name her after the best little sister in the world."

Hinata rolled her eyes at her sister's antics before being reminded of something.

"Hey, my turn to ask a question." She stated, turning to face her sister more.

"Go for it."

"So… what do you want to do?" Hinata asked slowly.

Hanabi took a moment before moving her head up to look at Hinata.

"What do you mean?"

Hinata sighed, leaning back with her.

"I mean what do you want to do? You don't have to stay in the castle all the time anymore, you're free to do your own thing once the baby is born, you know that?" Hinata explained, curious to her answer.

Hanabi sighed.

"Yeah… I know. I just don't know. Maybe I'll try and pick up a skill or travel or something, you know?" Hinata nodded.

"But for now, I think I'll stay here." Hanabi admitted, not giving much thought past that.

Hinata smiled at her.

"I was hoping that's what you'd say, I'd miss my little sister if you left." She joked, but there was honesty in her words.

"Hinata there's no need to be weird about it." Hanabi told her, rolling her eyes to try and hide her smile.

There was a knock at the door.

….

Naruto was regretting taking on this project. At first it sounded easy enough- just making sure that the grounds for a housing expansion was ready to build on- but then issues starting popping up. The ground wasn't soft enough, there were rocks scattered throughout the dirt underneath it, it was too close to a busy entrance to the town, the construction would block that road until it was done. Just problem after problem seemed to keep popping up.

He was drafting his final statement on the issue while Shikamaru was making sure he was including everything that he was saying. Shikamaru was good at that. He knew what Naruto was thinking, like their minds were one, but he could say them more properly than he could. They were all Naruto's original thoughts and ideas, just phrased better.

But he just couldn't concentrate on it right now.

His mind kept drifting back to her. How he wanted to be next to her, to love her, kiss her, cuddle up next to her and have her put her cold feet on his legs to warm them. It was already late, so thoughts of her mixed with how tired he was getting just ended in the fact that he could not concentrate.

Shikamaru sighed, knowing he was distracted.

"Naruto I promise once you finish this you're free to do what you want with your evening. Just focus for ten more minutes."

Naruto snapped his head up at Shikamaru's voice, not even aware that he wasn't paying attention. He blinked a few times before apologizing.

"Sorry Shikamaru, i just keep thinking about other things." He apologized sheepishly.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "You can think about whatever that is all you want later, for now, we have to finish this."

Naruto nodded in agreement, even if he didn't want to agree. "Yeah, I know I know."

He turned back to the paper and continued writing as Shikamaru spoke, but found himself drifting back to his original thoughts.

" _ **Easily distracted, aren't we?"**_

_It was like his vision blurred out, the paper he was trying to focus on was completely gone, and in its place, was a face that really only he knew. Stupid cocky grin and eyes that he used to fear, now they were that of a friend._

_Kurama._

" _Hm? Oh, well you aren't helping." He joked with the old fox._

" _ **I wasn't planning on it."**_ _he retorted back._

_Kurama stretched out his front legs before laying back down._

" _ **I can understand your lust for this girl, but you have a job to do, right?"**_ _he asked with a yawn._

" _It's not lust! ...It's love." Naruto tried to defend, feeling embarrassed by Kurama's underlying tone._

" _ **Whatever you humans call it then.**_ _" He waved his claws to ignore the fact. This time Naruto rolled his eyes._

" _Did you need anything?" he asked. Usually Kurama doesn't speak to him unless there is something important he wants to say. Talking just because he's bored isn't something that he does._

" _ **Actually… yes."**_ _Kurama replied. Naruto could see the look in his fierce red eyes change from playful to serious._

_Naruto crossed his arms, taking a seat in the dream-like space they were in._

" _Well, what is it?"_

_Kurama sighed before starting._

" _ **This has to deal with her, and since I can't talk to her directly- at least you won't let me after I called her hot for whatever reason."**_ _Kurama gave him a wondering look, almost like asking permission._

" _That's right, and I'm still not going to let you." He firmly stated._

_Kurama groaned before continuing._

" _ **Point is, she needs to know something since you two decided to have young."**_

" _What do you mean by that?" Naruto asked him cautiously. He didn't know why Kurama would bring this up. He couldn't think of any reason that this should be an issue._

" _ **You see, your mother and I, just like me and you, we're almost one in the same. My power flows in your blood and is adjusted to it, it doesn't overwhelm you and it makes you stronger for It."**_ _he explained._

_Naruto waited for the 'but'._

" _ **But, it's different for that woman of yours. What I gave her isn't going to be threaded into her bloodstream and become a part of her. It lies dormant until it's summoned."**_

" _I still don't get it." Naruto commented._

" _ **Just let me finish and stop interrupting."**_ _Kurama told him, getting frustrated. "_ _ **When your mother had you, I was a part of you before we were ever sealed. However, with your child, it's different."**_

_Naruto sat up straighter._

" _ **Some will transfer from you and that's going to happen with any child you have, but now that it's in her hands to take care of, things get tricky. Since that child isn't constantly taking in any of it, their body is only going to be used to what they were given from you. Any sort of burst of it isn't something you want to happen."**_

_Naruto jerked his head back, squinting his eyes._

" _You mean that Hinata can't use the power you gave her? In any way?" he asked._

_Kurama nodded._ _**"Even if she has a paper cut, or a bump on her ankle. Just the use of it will influence the entire body, even if she's just using it mainly on one specific area. Just a small amount is enough to do it."** _

"… _Do what?"_

_Kurama swallowed, not sure how the kid would react to what he would say._

" _ **At such a small size and age, it would be so overwhelming on the body… it's enough to kill the child."**_

_SNAP_

Naruto was brought back into reality by Shikamaru yelling at him. He realized his face was scrunched up angrily. It took a moment for his vision to come back, realizing there was an ink stain on the paper in front of him. He looked at his hand and there was ink all over it. The top of the pen he was using had fallen off, rolling down the table with a trail of black behind it.

He had snapped his pen in half.

"What're you doing?! Now we have to start from the beginning since the pages are ruined!" Shikamaru yelled at him, rubbing a hand over his eyes.

Naruto turned to Shikamaru in his chair.

"Oh… sorry Shikamaru." He said quietly, his mind still being on what Kurama told him. Shikamaru could sense the distance in his words.

"… Yeah, Here." Shikamaru responded, taking a pen out from his pocket and rolling it over to him. "Just use that one… and try not to break it."

There was a knock at the door.

Naruto looked over at Shikamaru to see if he was expecting one. Shikamaru's shrug told Naruto he wasn't.

He cleared his throat.

"Come in."

The door opened and the guard walked through the threshold, approaching both of them. She was wearing the typical uniform, chest plate, sword, boots, and the works. She was on duty. The way she walked towards the both of them were all enough hints that she had a message to deliver from someone.

"A message from Tsunade." She stated while stopping in front of the both.

Naruto nodded his head, letting her know to continue.

"The Scouting team from the east has returned. Tsunade wouldn't give me any more details than that, but she wants you in her office."

Naruto stood up at her words, surprised they were back already. It had only been two and a half weeks since they left.

"Thank you." He told her before turning to Shikamaru. "Sorry, but this is going to have to wait."

Shikamaru agreed, getting up to join them. The guard spoke again.

"Would you like me to inform the Queen as well? Tsunade told me to ask."

Naruto looked at the clock in the room, reading 9:30 at night. He contemplated it for a moment before making a decision.

"Yes, she should be in our bedroom. Tell her I want her there." He told the guard, to which she bowed and turned out the door. Naruto and Shikamaru followed after her, turning the other way down the corridor.

"Why do you want Hinata there?" Shikamaru asked, not understanding his reasoning.

"Because," they rounded a corner. "She a lot better at processing information than I am, thinking of strategies and plans while not actually experiencing them. And, she and Tsunade communicate better than I do." He explained, walking down a path of stairs that lead outside towards the training grounds.

"And she has a right to know."

Shikamaru couldn't argue with that.

They walked across the mute green grass towards the training ground, seeing Tsunade was already waiting next to the gated entrance for them.

"You two got here fast. Is Hinata coming as well?" She asked them, pushing herself off the brick post she was leaning on.

Naruto nodded her head.

"She should be here soon."

"Then we should wait for her. I don't want to repeat myself." She told them, wiping off her forehead. The cold night air felt nice against her hot skin.

Naruto noticed something as she wiped her face.

"Why is there blood on your hands?" he asked, leaning closer to her. Tsunade held her hand out in from of her, observing the blood herself.

She stared at it before making a fist to put it back at her side.

"You'll know when I show you."

That wasn't a good answer.

Tsunade looked beyond them, watching as Hinata approached them from the castle. She walked over, waving as she got closer.

"What have I missed?" she asked, stopping next to Naruto.

"Nothing yet, we were waiting for you." Shikamaru told her before Tsunade got the chance to.

"Oh! Sorry, didn't meant to make you wait." She apologized. Naruto turned down to her.

"You weren't with us, we knew it'd take you longer." He reasoned with her. "No reason to apologize."

She smiled back at him, her cheeks pushing her eyes to close. He was about to do the same thing, but he noticed something.

She was shivering.

It wasn't much, but it was constant. He didn't think it was cold outside in the slightest. But he thought that the snow wasn't cold most days. He started unbuttoning the small jacket he had on as Tsunade started.

"Well, now that we're all here, let me brief you before we go in."

Naruto put his jacket over Hinata's shoulders, much to her surprise. She mouthed 'thank you' before they both turned back to face Tsunade.

"We sent a team of four, as you know. They left this month on the 4th, and they came back just thirty minutes ago. They returned early after sustaining too many injuries… that's mostly what I know so far."

"Injuries?" Hinata asked.

Tsunade just shook her head.

"Follow me."

They followed her into her office, and from there to the bunkers they had for the new trainees who were to begin at the start of next week. There were a good one hundred small beds in the room, one of which was Naruto's in some time long ago. Coming back in here was almost surreal. The musty smell, the windows that you really couldn't see out of, just for filtering in light. The concrete floor with chests in front of every bed for their personal belongings. It wasn't a lot of space for one person, but they were hardly in here to really care. The musty smell, the stiff sheets that Naruto was firm on replacing before the new class started, and the one pillow were all too familiar.

There was only one person in the room. He was sitting on the edge of one of the many beds, staring down at the ground. The entire bunker was dark, with only the windows lighting the room. He was a good twenty-five feet away from them.

All four of them stopped at the entrance since Tsunade held out her arm.

"He was the only one that I can get any information out of."

"What happened to the other three?" Naruto asked her, not knowing if he even wanted to know the answer.

"One is in critical condition at the hospital, he stopped there on his way after carrying him for three days on his back." She explained.

"…and the other two?" asked Shikamaru.

Tsunade bit her lip before responding.

"They're dead."

The air seemed to leave the room at her words. Hinata covered her mouth, Naruto clenched his jaw, and Shikamaru just looked away.

Hinata felt like she was going to be sick at her words, but couldn't help but notice the boy, about as old as she was, sitting on the bed just trembling. She knew he wasn't cold.

She straightened herself out, taking Naruto's jacket off her shoulders, handing back to him. He took it, curious as to what she was doing. She just gave him a smile that he needn't worry.

She walked over to the man, making sure the others didn't follow. Her steps slowed down as she approached, not wanting to scare him. He didn't look up off the ground until he saw the bottom of her dress in front of him. He slowly moved his head up, still trembling.

Once he realized who was in front of him, he tried to stand up.

"Q-Queen Hinata…" He muttered out, trying to clear his voice, but she knew he was in no condition to speak.

"Sit back down." She told him, a soft smile traced her face. He nodded rather fast, sitting back down. She sat back down with him.

"What's your name?" she asked him, but she already knew. She was the one who finalized the assignment choices.

"K-k-Kiba Inuzuka…" he mumbled out, barely audible enough for Hinata to hear.

"Kiba… what a lovely name. You must care an awful lot about the person whose life you saved, yeah?" she asked, referring the soldier he brought back.

"B-but I couldn't save the o-other two." He stared down again, this time looking at the blood that covered his hands. Really there was blood on him just about everywhere, mainly being on his back. She assumed it wasn't his.

"Accidents happen, mistakes are made- and that's a part of life. But to do so much for someone, like you did, that takes a lot of determination and strength." she asked, trying to get him to agree.

He took a moment before nodding.

She carefully put her hand on his shoulder, ignoring the blood that was there.

"I need you to tell me what happened, so what happened doesn't happen again. I know it's painful to think about, but we need to know." She told him.

Naruto leaned into Shikamaru and Tsunade.

"I can't hear what she's saying, what's she doing?" he asked, not taking his eyes off them.

Tsunade replied. "If I had to guess, she's trying to get him to tell her what happened. She's a lot nicer than I am."

Naruto turned his attention back completely to Hinata and the man with her.

"I… It was him." He started, not looking her in the face. Hinata raised her eyebrows at what he said, but didn't ask for me. She let him speak.

"W-we were following him. He had a … a hideout or s-something in the forests around the town." He took a deep breath, steadying his breathing. "We continued on following him as he went in this small… cave entrance- we had seen him do it before."

Then he went quiet. He bit his lip, and Hinata saw his fists clench.

"…Kiba?"

"One of the men j-just got a bit too close and and tripped something or maybe he _knew_ we were there I-I don't know… but it was an explosion."

Hinata breathed in deep, absorbing his words. She nodded her head.

"An explosion…" she repeated mainly to herself.

"M-me and Shino… we were the farthest back, but the other two…. Just in pieces…" he was shaking again as he was speaking through his gritted teeth. "I-I didn't get hit too bad, b-but Shino had pieces of wood f-from the surrounding trees go just right t-through him."

Hinata thought for a moment, not understanding something. Well… she understood it but didn't think it was possible.

"How… how big was the explosion?" she asked him, gripping his shoulder tighter.

"I-I don't know… about as big as this room." He mumbled, looking around it.

"Was it all at once, or was it multiple ones?" She asked him.

"It was all at once… no space in between anything." He assured her.

That's not what she wanted to hear. She wasn't quite sure what she did want to hear, but she knew it wasn't that.

"I see." She told him, bringing her mind back to the person next to her. "Have you been checked out by a doctor?" she asked him.

He shook his head.

"I was worried about Shino… not myself." He answered.

"Well… judging by how your shoulder feels, it's pretty swollen." She told him before she got up off the bed to face him directly. She bent over slightly to be in his line of sight.

"Here, let's take you to get examined too." She smiled at him, holding out her hand.

He stared at her hand, then back to her before he timidly reached out for it.

Her hand was warm and soft, compared to his own. She led him over to the three that were still standing by the doorway.

"He didn't get himself examined before coming over here. We're taking him to the hospital to do so." She informed them.

Naruto looked at the man's face, instantly recognizing him. He didn't say anything, but he stared. He had graduated with him, Kiba. He honestly wouldn't mind catching up, but he knew that Kiba was in no mindset to. Not only that, but it looked like Kiba didn't even recognize him- or at least didn't act like he knew who he was.

Hinata walked past them, Kiba following suit. Shikamaru looked to Tsunade.

"Are we supposed to follow as well?" he asked her.

"Well, he is." She pointed out, gesturing to Naruto who was jogging behind her to catch up.

"But he's always following her." Shikamaru commented.

Tsunade held back a laugh. Instead she grabbed his shoulder, pushing him in the direction they left. He stumbled forward a bit, but obliged as she followed behind.

…..

"Nothing broken, but a fractured rib, a dislocated shoulder, and a few cuts here and there." The nurse said as she closed the wooden door behind her. Hinata and Naruto were standing outside the door, knowing that the other patrons of the hospital were staring at them, but neither cared right now. Shikamaru was in with Kiba, seeing if there was anything more he could tell them, and Tsunade was helping with the operations that the other man needed.

"Thank you, that's good news." Hinata commented before continuing. "What about his friend… I believe Shino was the name?"

The look on her face said it all. The downward eyebrows, the off to the side glance. Honestly no more needs to be said. But she did anyway.

"He's… he's a mess. There's a hole going right through his shoulder… broken femur, stab wounds all over his chest, burns on his forearms and legs. We're just glad that nothing is infected. This kid" she pointed behind her. "Must've done a real good job at cleaning them."

"What are his chances?" Naruto asked.

The nurse sighed before doing some thinking in her head.

"About… 30% he'll make it? Even if they aren't infected, the wounds were never closed or stitched, so he's been losing blood for three days."

Hinata pursed her lips, not liking what she was hearing.

"He's not awake?" Naruto followed up.

"No."

"Can we see him?" Hinata asked.

Naruto looked down at her.

"You want to see him?" he asked her.

Hinata nodded confidently.

"If I can do nothing for the two that didn't survive, I can do what I can for these two." She told him.

He hated to admit that she was right, but she was. She had already agreed that they would pay whatever went above the military limit when it comes to hospital care. Most cases never even made it towards that limit, but on rare occasion some did. Shino just happened to be one of the rare occasions.

"If you want to see him, I must warn you that it's a gruesome sight."

Hinata shook her head.

"That doesn't matter." She said with Naruto agree with her.

The nurse turned on her head to head down the hallway.

"Then follow me."

They went down the hallway, passing various people. Some were patients with room doors open, others were family visiting, and some were workers. They both could hear the murmurs from all of them, asking each other what the king and queen were doing here, some hypothesizing the reasoning for their visit. Neither one of them paid it any mind.

They followed the nurse through a pair of double doors, leading into the intensive care. The atmosphere was completely different here than just a few feet on the other side. It was quiet, there we're no murmurs, no people sitting in hallways having conversations. It was somber and silent. The walls of the rooms were mostly glass so that staff didn't have to open the doors to check on patients, them being able to rest if needed. There was a specific smell in the air of rubbing alcohol.

"Here." The nurse stated, stopping in front of the door. "They're in the middle of the procedure, so we can't go in, but you can see him from here." She told them, gesturing to the glass wall.

Naruto looked first, shocked by what he saw. There were a team of doctors surrounding him, but not really doing anything. Tsunade was the one doing the work. The hospital team wasn't prepared for her visit, but surely allowed her to work on him- her knowing much more than they did. Her hands were inside his chest, doing who knows what. She seemed to be sewing up something, but he just didn't know for sure. He started stirring underneath her, moving his head around and stretching his legs. Tsunade lifted her hear up at one of the doctors and yelled something from behind the mask she was wearing for sanitation. He understood and grabbed some sort of needle from behind him, jamming it into his leg. Soon he settled back down.

Hinata felt sick again watching her work. The sight of blood and the thought of them putting a needle in him, which she turned away from, made her queasy.

Naruto turned back over to her, noticing how she wasn't saying anything. He saw how drained of color her face looked.

"You okay, Hinata?" he asked her, putting a hand on her back. She didn't look up at him, but she nodded.

"I'm fine." She replied, not thinking much about what he said. Instead she turned back to the nurse.

"Tell him when he wakes up that he has our dearest condolences. We will happily take care of anything that he needs." She told the nurse. She nodded her head, accepting the request.

Hinata finally turned to Naruto.

"I think we should head back, there's nothing more we can do here." She told him, putting a hand on his arm.

"Right." He replied before turning to the nurse. "Thank you."

She watched as they turned around to leave, him having his hand on her shoulder. She couldn't help but laugh to herself in that all her years, out of the three King and Queen she had lied through, not once did she ever see then touch one another, let alone as endearing as he reached for her shoulder, or as she put her hand on his arm.

She thought it was refreshing.

….

They stopped and picked up Shikamaru from Kiba's room before they left, knowing that Tsunade would be a while. The waited until they were outside in the carriage before talking about anything, not wanting anyone to hear. They all adjusted themselves inside before spilling what all they had found.

"Well..." Shikamaru started. "I really didn't get much of anything aside from they had found him after being in town for a few days. The description matched, he was reserved and cautious in his movements. They decided to follow him, and where they lead him just… blew up in front of them all. They were spread about 20 feet apart from each other." Shikamaru sighed, rolling his head back. "That's all I got."

Naruto and Hinata both sat on the opposite side of him, taking in the information.

"That matches up with what he told me… and I'm sure that Sasuke isn't going to be staying in the same place for long." She sighed, not sure what to do next.

They started moving.

"Now all we can do is wait for leads again, for sightings." Naruto mumbled, hating to admit it.

Shikamaru chuckled under his breath.

"You know if Hinata hadn't talked you out of going, that could've been you." He told him, reminding him that he was right all along.

"You don't have to tell me twice." He groaned, not wanting to have the conversation. By now it was at least midnight. If he was this tired he couldn't imagine how tired Hinata was.

He looked over at her as she stared out the small window they had, watching as everything passed by.

' _What's she thinking about?'_ he wondered. He would have expected her to say something at Shikamaru's comment, but instead she was just… staring.

"You know, it would have been faster if we just had individual horses. You could've gotten back faster." Shikamaru told them.

Of course they knew that was true, but there were specific reasons that they didn't do that.

"We did this because it's late and we had someone that was injured with us, we didn't want to hurt him more by causing him more injuries from a harder ride. It's also late and the sun isn't up anymore, making it easier for the horses to be spooked, and we don't want that because of the same reason." Hinata replied, still looking out the window.

They also didn't do it because Hinata knew that one bad fall off a horse wouldn't be good for their child, and she wasn't taking any risk. But also the above was true. Right now, she wished that she had just stayed back home, the carriage shaking everywhere on top of seeing Tsunade operate just wasn't resting well.

"Hinata, are you okay?" Naruto asked her again, knowing something was up.

She turned to him and gave a soft smile, the best she could.

"I'm just fine." She answered.

Naruto knew something was wrong, but there was a reason that Hinata wasn't sharing.

Shikamaru knew something was wrong as well, but he wasn't going to press.

"Well if it rains then we'll be fine." Shikamaru commented, not wanting to press the issue further.

The carriage arrived back at the castle after a few minutes, letting them all out next to the stables so they could put the horses up. They waved goodnight to Shikamaru as they went their separate ways within the castle. Him to his bedroom, and them to theirs.

Once he was out of earshot, Naruto grabbed Hinata's shoulder.

"Okay, tell me what's going on." He told her.

"Just…not feeling very well..." She told him honestly.

"What? Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

She gave him a small smile as she leaned against the wall.

"Shikamaru is too smart for his own good. If I said that he'd known in a heartbeat."

Naruto knew they were trying to keep it a secret, and they were still going to tell Shikamaru, since he would be around them as much as Tsunade and Hanabi would be, but there was one thing holding them back.

He hadn't been around long enough to know what kind of danger there was if it was leaked. He wasn't there when Danzo almost killed her father, or when they were attacked at her coronation. They knew Shikamaru was smart, but they just didn't feel comfortable telling him, at least not yet.

He took her hand, guiding her to their bedroom as fast as she wanted to go. He helped her change into her nightdress, making sure not to move her too much before finally setting her down on the bed.

"You feeling any better?"

Hinata let out a deep breath before responding.

"Much better."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whaaat hey I don't know where to end chapters so I'm just going to start CUTTING THEM OFF or else I'm going to type forever and drag these on and on and on and while I'm sure someone wants that, let me tell you I sure don't.
> 
> I also want everyone to know how much work I put into making a consistent timeline with all this. Like… it was so much harder than I thought BUT! Rewriting it out on a flash card about 7 times helped.


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha, I use too many ellipses when I write dialogue. They're just so fun to use and everyone has breaks in their talking when theyre thinking of something to say I dunno I use em a lot. Been using dashes a lot too -…-
> 
> Anyway, fun chapter, nice chapter, enjoy.

The outside was getting colder with the passing months. It was dark before they had dinner, and the sun wasn't up when they woke either. It was almost like it never existed except for the small traces through the windows during the day. The cold, sharp air made you want to stay inside. Every evening they would have the fireplace in their bedroom going for warmth, even if Naruto was already plenty warm, she always felt cold nowadays. Right now being the middle of the day it wasn't too bad inside, but you could still feel the cold if you walked close enough to the windows.

She had always loved this weather. The cold made you want to be covered in blankets and drink hot chocolate and apple cider. The fireplace could be going and she always enjoyed the warmth from it, as well as watching the orange hue bounce off the walls and anything else it touches. The cackling sound was close to her heart. And of course, whenever it snowed, everything just looks so nice covered in it. She truly enjoyed it.

"Hinata."

Hinata looked up from the paper she was writing at the call of her name. She was glad she didn't have to stand up to greet her, she felt oddly comfortable in the chair she was in. Naruto also paused what he was doing to look up at her.

"Tsunade, what can I help you with?" Hinata asked stretching out her arms. She watched Naruto lean back in his chair, ready to watch the conversation transpire, surely thinking of a few good quips for Tsunade if he could work them in.

Tsunade seemed fully aware of that.

"We have a letter sent from the King of the Wind Country." She told her, sliding the letter over to her. It was covered in fancy ribbon with a wax seal to hold it together. She looked at it curiously.

"Why do you have it?" she asked Tsunade. She sighed.

"Typically, he sends letters saying they're having issues with something and need our help or want us to send them a few soldiers to teach their own a few things, requests like that. Most of the time if he has an urgent message that needs to go to you, he'll send a person. They gave this to me thinking I was supposed to have it, but it doesn't look like anything they normally send." Tsunade explained. She knew Hinata would know without much explanation, but for the other person in the room she figured that she should explain in full.

She looked at the letter curiously, admiring the ribbon around it.

"Are you going to open it?" Naruto asked her, crossing his arms behind his head.

She slid her finger under the seal, trying to open the letter. The piece curved upward, ripping off the corner instead of breaking the seal.

"I knew that would happen, I've always been so bad at opening letters." She mumbled to herself before deciding to just rip the side off and dump out the contents.

She took the tri-folded piece of paper and unfolded it, almost stunned by its contents.

It was merely a few sentences.

"Your Majesty,

Due to the events that transpired last year we do not know if there will be another Winter Ball this year. We have not heard anything as of yet and wish to know the answer soon.

Thank you for your time,

King Gaara."

She read it out loud. After she finished she slowly pulled the letter away from her face, dumbfounded by its simplicity.

"Did… did he send you a letter just to ask that?" Naruto wanted to confirm, even after just hearing its contents.

"I mean… that seems to be true. " She said, holding back her laugh. It was so simple for such a fancy letter. Something like this he could have sent a messenger bird or something, he didn't need to write a full letter.

"Well… are we?" Tsunade asked, sitting at one of the empty seats in the smaller conference room.

"Are we what?" Naruto asked her.

She blinked a few times before answering.

"Having a winter ball? Like the letter that she just read asks." Tsunade stated, to which Naruto just scratched the side of his face, embarrassed.

They both turned their heads to Hinata, who raised her shoulders at their stares.

"What? This is my decision?" she asked, not liking the fact that they were both looking at her.

"Well, yeah. You host it, so it's your call." Tsunade stated. Naruto nodded his head, not understanding how the more political side of this stuff worked.

"I… I mean…" Hinata ruffled her bangs, thinking about what she wanted to do.

Thinking back on it, she always enjoyed the night every year- at least once she was allowed to attend. She remembered dancing with her father for four years in a row, picking out decorations and dinner items, picking out music and it was a place for her to learn about all the other royal families and heads of military- the ones they were allies with at least. And while what happened last year was…. scary, no other country really held something like this, a chance for them to gather and have fun.

It was also the night that Naruto first kissed her, but she shook that from her mind, not wanting to list that as a real reason.

She looked over at the two of them, waiting for her answer.

"I think… yes, we should have it, or at least something similar." She finally decided.

"Something similar?" He asked her, leaning back on his chair.

"Yes. We have the party, but call it something else so it isn't associated with the negative connotation from what happened last year." She explained to the both of them.

"That would work." Tsunade admitted. "But what would we change it to?"

"Ah… good question." Hinata replied, not really having an answer. She slumped back in her chair, thinking about it. In the small glance she did around the room it seemed like everyone was doing the same thing.

It was silent for a moment while they thought. She considered Snow Ball, but that was silly, maybe Winter Festival? No, festivals are more of a party that happen on holidays, specifically though the streets of the city.

Naruto clapped, making Hinata jump slightly and Tsunade shift her eyes towards him.

"I got it! Why not do it for your birthday?" He asked her with a smile.

"My birthday?" she asked, almost embarrassed that he thought that'd be a good reason to host a party.

Tsunade mumbled. "It's not a bad idea."

What? No no I don't think my birthday is something to be celebrated with the leaders of other nations." She tried to argue, but Naruto only laughed.

"Didn't we get an invitation for someone birthday in… when is it… May?" Naruto asked her, countering her argument.

Tsunade smiled, still mumbling. "He makes a good point."

Hinata shot her an upset look that she was taking his side.

"But I don't want to be the center of attention! What if someone finds out… you know." She implied.

"Hinata you'd be the center of attention regardless, since we'd be the ones hosting it, right? Besides just wear something like you are now, maybe a bit… poofy-er. They won't be able to tell."

Hinata looked down at the dress she was wearing, realizing he was right. She had recently changed up the style she wore. Usually the only flared out after her hips, a fit she thought looked nice on her. But recently she changed it to flare starting under her chest, it made her feel like a cupcake, but it hid the bump that had started to show.

"I guess you're right…" she mumbled in a sense similar to Tsunade's.

"Hinata, when was the last time you even celebrated your birthday?" Tsunade asked, getting up from her chair.

"What do you mean? I celebrate it every year." She answered.

Tsunade rolled her eyes at the answer. "What did you do last year?"

"Oh, Naruto brought me a small cake from one of the pastry shops in town. It was one of the best I've ever had." She remembered. That was before most of their relationship had really blossomed, so he was rather nervous about giving her something so plain. But she hadn't had a better one yet.

Tsunade scoffed at her answer, leaning her hand against the table.

"That's not what I mean. I'm talking about a celebration. There was one for your 18th birthday, but before that… I can't even remember one." Tsunade commented.

Hinata raised her eyebrows.

"Oh, an actual party… well aside from my 18th I don't think I ever had one. Just didn't seem too important, and it always ended up so close to the Winter Ball anyway." She admitted, not really knowing how to feel about the fact.

"Then it's decided?" Naruto asked her, leaning closer.

"Mm… okay! We'll do it." she agreed, hearing a cheer from the two spectators in the room. She shook her head at how excited they were about it, but she still had a smile on her face.

"You want me to draft a response?" Tsunade asked her, grabbing the letter off the table.

"If you would, that would be lovely." She responded, appreciating her offer.

"I'll get it done!" Tsunade told her, turning to leave. Naruto knew that Tsunade was happy about it, she always thought Hinata never indulged herself enough in anything. Never letting herself be spoiled or talking more than she was told, or what was necessary. Not even when she was a kid.

Naruto turned his head back to Hinata who had returned to the page she was writing on. Her head was down, and she looked like she was re-reading what she had written, but he could see her smiling no matter how much she was trying to hide it.

"What are you smiling about?" he joked with her.

"I'm not smiling, I'm… stretching." She replied, not wanting to admit it.

"Stretching your face?" he asked.

"Yes." She said with confidence.

….

It was cold, colder than she remembered it being yesterday morning. Was it morning? She remembered going to bed, but nothing beyond that. Maybe it was only two in the morning and she just had to go to the bathroom for the millionth time, or maybe she was just imagining being cold and that's why she was awake.

Then she felt something on her back. Something stabbing her? No, it's much too soft for that. Someone was taping, no, poking at her. She waited until her body was more conscious to figure out what was going on.

"Hinata…" she heard him whisper- already knowing it was him.

"What time is it?" she grumbled out, her mouth not quite to the level of awake her mind was.

"I don't know, late? That doesn't matter." He said to her. She couldn't help but feel that he was happy, or even excited. She didn't know what would cause him to be like that, but she determined it was either too early or too late for him to be this exited.

"Then what's going on?" she asked, not moving from her spot on the bed, keeping her eyes closed and head placed on her pillow.

"Come here and I'll show you." He whispered even more excited than she thought was possible right now.

She turned her head, barely opening her eyes to look at him. He was wide awake, not even a hint of tired. It almost hurt to look at him with how happy he looked.

"What? Where am I going? It's too late to go anywhere." She tried to argue sleepily, finding it hard to keep her eyes open.

"We aren't going far, just a few feet." He promised, putting a hand on his face.

She debated just turning back around and going back to sleep for various reasons. Number 1. This could just be a dream, which seemed fairly likely. Number 2. She was very tired, also a good reason. 3. They had both fallen asleep late after …enjoying each other's company before bed. But there were also reasons she shouldn't. 1. The look in his eye was absolutely magical. They were bright and wonderful and completely on her. 2. It would have been rude of her to just ignore him, even if this was a dream.

And most importantly was number 3.

Their window was open.

She was willing to bet anything that that was why she was so cold, and whatever he wanted to show her was outside the window.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming."

Naruto did a little victory dance, making a fist with his hand in success. He grabbed her robe that was hanging on the end post of their bed, knowing it was cold. He helped her wrap in it, noting that it didn't close quite as well. She wasn't huge by any means, but it was more like she looked like she was arching her back constantly, making her stomach stick out just a bit further than normal. He couldn't help but put his hand over the small bump, smiling at the feeling.

Hinata was used to him doing that. Every chance he got a hand wound be there. Occasionally her own would be, like if she was laying down, but he'd always weasel his hand underneath her own to be closer. But if they were asleep, that's where his hand would be, if they were riding somewhere, that's where his hand would be. Even occasionally while eating dinner, he'd sneak his hand under the table just to put it on that same spot. She never really questioned why he did it, maybe he felt it added an extra layer of protection for their child. Maybe he just felt better with it there, like that if he could feel the small bump then he knew it was real. She never really pressed, since those reasons were hers as well.

She stood up from the bed, feeling how cold the floor was. He walked her over to the window, making her close her eyes. She had no idea what to expect when she opened her eyes. It was too early for anything with her birthday, and there were no holidays coming up or anything like that. He was genuinely going to surprise her. She could feel the cold wind from outside, knowing she was at their destination.

"Okay open your eyes… now!" he told her

She slowly fluttered her eyes open to see the night sky, completely dark. No moon no stars, no nothing. She looked out curiously through the window, wonder what he meant for her to see.

It wasn't until her eyes could focus more that she realized what it was.

It was snowing.

It was the first snow if the season. She walked up closer to the window, trying to see out of it better. She could see the top roofs of the hallways that surrounded the square patch of grass in the middle of the castle. There was a pond and small sitting area there as well. She saw that the roofs were already completely covered with snow, but she couldn't see the ground.

"Whoa!" She exclaimed as Naruto picked her up. He picked her up bridal style, making her just as tall as he was. He was smiling at her surprise.

She peered back out the open window and saw the entire area was covered in a blanket of snow, with the small lamps around the area illuminating it and bouncing off the snow. It looked like it was even sparkling.

"It's so pretty…" she commented, not knowing what else to say.

"Isn't it?!" he asked her excitedly.

She turned her face to his as he put her down.

"I didn't know you liked snow so much." She admitted. He shrugged back.

"I used to hate it, especially when I was a kid. But now I love It." he explained.

She crossed her arms, leaning against the wall.

"What caused your opinion to change?" she asked curiously.

He gave a soft chuckle at her question, even shaking his head.

"Well, it was the snow that trapped us in that cave, remember? It was too heavy to try and make our way back up to everyone."

Hinata could feel her face getting hot, despite the cold air from the open window. She hid her face in her hands, a habit she thought she suppressed.

"Y-you're too cute when you say things like that." She blurted out, not knowing how else to react.

He laughed at her, putting his hand on top of her head. He brought it closer to his, touching her forehead.

"Let's go back to bed, yeah?" he asked her happily.

She nodded, her cheeks still red.

Typically the color of her cheeks was something that he loved seeing, that cute pink tint on them just made him want to stare at her forever. But maybe it was the open window that was causing her cheeks to be colder, or maybe he was imagining things, but they looked much more red than usual.

It reminded him of a conversation he had yet to have with her.

He sighed, leaning his head down. Hinata tilted hers at his actions.

"Actually, I need to tell you something before we go back to sleep, while it's on my mind."

Her eyebrows furrowed, not knowing what he meant.

"Okay…" she responded.

"It's nothing bad, or at least not bad right now… it's hard to explain without telling you everything."

Naruto climbed up on the window sill, it being almost five feet off the ground, so he could close it. Hinata figured he did the same thing to open it.

He jumped back down, and they both sat at the edge of their bed, Hinata awaiting what he had to say. He plopped down on his back, letting his legs dangle off.

"You can't use Kurama's power, at all." He admitted.

Then Hinata did something that he didn't expect her to.

She laughed.

He turned his head at her, not understanding why she would be laughing at this, it was a serious matter!

"Is that all?" she asked, looking back at him with a smile.

"What do you mean is that all?" he asked dumbfounded.

"Well, I figured with all that you told me about how dangerous it can be, I figured that I shouldn't use it until our baby is born." She explained, taking off her robe.

Naruto had to blink a few times. Some days she was too smart for him.

"Oh, well… I'm glad you already knew." He finished, not knowing what else to really say.

"Sorry I ruined your reveal." She told him, mostly joking.

He sat back up, waving his hands at her.

"No no it's fine! Trust me, I'm glad you figured out on your own."

She smiled at him, leaning forward to kiss his cheek, which he happily accepted.

…..

It had snowed all night, and still snowed in the morning, finally slowing down around noon. If he had to guess there was about two feet of snow covering the grounds, with slightly taller snowbanks next to the walls. The trek through the snow was enough to make him want to take a break before he even got started, but it was rare for them to have such free time anymore, let alone him. With the weather turning colder and with it starting to snow, less people were traveling, projects weren't being done, construction was halted, and most people we're sending letters instead of coming in person to them. Even then there were maybe twenty of them a day. Hinata had much better handwriting than he did, and she loved reading them all so she took on that responsibility.

It wasn't something he was used to, but he was making the most of it.

The clearing he had made months ago was starting to grow tiny little saplings back, but they quickly succumbed to the cold winter and snow. He could see the small dead trees after clearing out so much of the snow in the area. It was almost like he made a trench out of snow where it dipped down dramatically from two feet of snow to almost one.

He was laying back against a slope he had made to easily climb out, letting his hot body rest against the cool snow. He was panting, his breath changing to fog as it left his mouth.

" _ **You seem to be at your limit there, kid… what I'm teaching you is pretty advanced stuff, you might want to call it a day for now.**_ _" Kurama told him, knowing how tired he was. To be honest, Kurama was just about as tired- he just didn't want Naruto to know._

"One more time…" he breathed out, trying to get up out of the snow.

Someone coughed from behind him. He turned his head sharply. Maybe Kurama was right that he should stop now, he couldn't hear him approaching at all.

"Sh-Shikamaru? What are you doing here?" he questioned, not getting up from the snow.

Shikamaru was just looking out into the clearing, processing everything.

"You… you did this?" he asked, rather surprised by the sheer area that had been cleared. It was at least one hundred yards.

"What? Oh, yeah." Naruto told him.

"What happened?" Shikamaru asked wrapping in the long coat he had on before sitting next to him.

"Eh… nothing bad, don't worry about it right now." Naruto explained, not wanting to have that conversation with Shikamaru. He honestly forgot that Shikamaru knew nothing of Kurama.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, but didn't press. He wasn't sure if he even wanted to know. But he could draw one conclusion from it. He could almost guarantee that this was the reason that Hiashi chose Naruto to be Hinata's personal guard all that time ago. He was content with finally getting an answer for that.

"Anyway…" Naruto sat up. "What're you doing here?" he asked again.

"Well, Hinata said I could find you here." He explained. Naruto just laughed.

"That doesn't answer my question."

Shikamaru sighed, feeling the cold start to seep through his clothing.

"I'm just… worried about her."

Naruto took a moment, thinking that there should be a reason that he should be worried too, but he couldn't think of a single thing.

"What… do you mean?" Naruto asked.

" _I mean_ how she is constantly getting tired recently, taking naps throughout the day. She used to never do that. She walks up the same flight of stairs she has since she was a child, but suddenly has to take a moment to gather herself once she reaches the top. She keeps blaming it on the colder weather, but I just don't know." He explained.

If there was one thing he loved about Shikamaru was how observant he was, but at times like these, Naruto wished he wasn't.

He awkwardly laughed.

"Well yeah… that just happens when the seasons change, people get tired and sore in the winter, and everything goes back to normal in the spring." He tried to cover up.

"You don't think I'm just going to take that answer, right?" Shikamaru asked, rolling his eyes.

"What do you mean? It happens to everyone! I mean even I feel more tired recently. I might just go and ah… take a nap myself! Yeah, that sounds good." He quickly got up from the ground, shaking off what snow he had on him.

"What… wait where are you going?!" Shikamaru yelled at him, scrambling to his feet. By the time he was up and coordinated enough to move, Naruto was already twenty feet in front of him.

He yelled something back, but Shikamaru couldn't understand what he said. He almost yelled back, but he knew it'd be a waste. Instead he crossed his arms and sighed.

"He really doesn't know how to keep a secret very well."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaah yes, the end of the chapter. The next one is going to be a little shorter (at least I think I haven't really written it out yet to know.) but it's kind of like this one, nice and sweet, establishes some information, good stuff good stuff. We really won't get into the heavy stuff for a while maybe… another three chapters? I forgot a plot point I wrote until I just re-read through my notes and ooo I'm excited.


	35. Chapter 35

…

"You remember how to do this?"

Hinata was staring at him, her hands on her hips. The strands of her hair that weren't tied back fell gracefully next to her face. Her dress fluffed out underneath her chest, like most did nowadays. Its deep blue hue catching on the light filtering in from the small windows that lined the room. It was small, at least when compared to the other rooms in the castle. The wood cackled as she took off her shoes, almost kicking them over to the corner of the room.

He looked at her with a not so confident look, matching her stance.

"I have no idea to be honest." He admitted, not sure how this was going to go.

She laughed at his honesty, meeting him together in the middle of the room. She extended her hand out, waiting for him to meet it.

"Let's just start and see how far we get." She suggested, giving him a smile.

It had been a while since they had danced together. The last time was at their wedding, but this specific dance was almost a year ago. He hadn't thought about it, hadn't known he needed to since the moment was over long ago. But that smile she hadn't given him made him feel like that didn't matter.

They swayed before he missed a step, recovering as she held back her laugh.

She hummed the tune of the song that was to play when they danced, and he could feel the vibrations leading into her chest and shoulders. He didn't know why he loved the feeling, but he didn't want to take his hand back from her shoulder when the key change happened. He wouldn't have known what a key change was unless Hinata had told him.

Naruto stumbled a few more times before the choreography was done, happy that he hadn't messed up too much. He turned to both sides, popping his back before giving himself the chance to celebrate his small victory.

"That went better than I expected." He smiled at her.

She was in front of the small record player, having her finger on the needle, almost touching it to the record that was sitting atop it. She turned her head back towards him.

"I think you did wonderful." She answered honestly, echoing his smile.

He noticed her breathing was deeper than usual, her chest rising and falling more as she smiled back. He looked at her curiously, but he figured it was from the dancing. He did have a higher stamina than she did.

"… What are you staring at?" she asked, noticing he hadn't shifted his eyes off her until she said something.

"Hm? Oh! Ah, nothing." He replied, not thinking it was important enough to bring up.

She turned back around slowly, placing the needle down. There was a slight hum throughout the room as she turned back to the center to meet him.

"You ready?" she asked him, holding up her hand.

"Are you?" he asked in a lighthearted tone, watching as she rolled her eyes at his answer.

The music started, and they did the same. They hit every beat, made every change, and he didn't miss a step.

Hinata did. Just once, but she had never missed one before. It was strange to see her mess up, even with how fast she had fixed herself. He just never saw her done anything wrong since… well never. All her decisions were precise, her movements were with purpose, her actions well thought. It was so unlike her, but he didn't want to mention it, as she didn't say anything to him about his own mess-ups. So, he bit his tongue, at least until their dance was over.

They finished the dance as the music wrapped up, in sync with it tempo.

"You look tired…" he commented, observing her heavy breathing and the few strands of hair that were sticking to her face. She held her hand up in defense.

"Oh, so much movement is rather… draining nowadays." She admitted with a pained smile, wiping the hair off her face.

Naruto furrowed his brow.

"I see… do you want to take a break?" he asked her, holding her arms gently in his hands. She tiled her head warmly, nodding that she would like that.

To an onlooker, it would have seemed like he fell to the ground, but he just sat down that way. Hinata thought they were going to take a break by going somewhere bit more cozy to relax, but she didn't mind right here. It was easier to get back to practice. She gracefully sat down in front of him, falling in towards his chest. He wrapped his arms around her body, placing his hands on the place where they seemed to belong, which just put a smile on his face.

She leaned her head back, sinking into him with a sigh.

"You know we don't have to do a first dance, right?" he told her. "I mean, the night is already going to be long, you don't have to put this on top of everything else."

She shook her head, not lifting it from his chest.

"No, I want to. It's a lovely way to set the tone for the night, plus as the hosts of the party, we should feel honored to do it." She reasoned with him.

He rested his head down in her neck.

"If you say so." He mumbled into her neck, breathing in her scent. She enjoyed the feeling of his hot breath on her neck.

He placed small kisses on the same spot on her neck, pausing in between every few to smile, enjoying the moment with her. She was laughing slightly, he was sure it was because it tickled against her skin.

Someone knocked on the door, not given them the time to answer.

They both straightened their backs out, Naruto throwing his hands from her stomach to the ground as fast as he could, remember to scold him for not waiting to enter.

Shikamaru looked at them.

"On the floor?" he asked, not sure what he walked in on, or what he interrupted.

"We were just… taking a break. We were rehearsing." Naruto explained with Hinata agreeing- both staying on the ground.

Shikamaru knocked over to two of them, wondering if they were going to get up at all. He crossed his arms as he reached a foot in front of them.

"Well, more reports have come in, if you can take a break from your break."

Hinata didn't even have to look at him to know what Naruto's facial expression changed to. She didn't blame him, hers changed too.

Hinata knew that they were getting up off the ground, leaning forward as she tried to get up. She felt Naruto's hand on her shoulder- she just knew it was his. She looked up at him, since he was already standing. He turned his hand around, offering it to help her up. His eyes we're fixed on Shikamaru.

Shikamaru digs into his vest, bringing out a piece of paper. It was folded and small, but from the look of the paper, it was a message that was delivered by a bird, probably a hawk. Hinata peered on to it as Naruto held the paper in the hand, reading it as he unraveled it.

"To summarize, some people think that they've seen him in the west. If what they're saying is true, that means he's traveling a rather large distance in a short amount of time- at least if he's on foot."

They both scanned over the paper, only confirming what Shikamaru said.

"I just… Why now? He decides to start making himself known now? Why not sooner? Or even later?" Naruto questioned, trying to find a correlation.

"I don't know, but I do think we should add some more soldiers around the castle, and then heighten security on the city gates." Hinata added, not finding a conclusion to Naruto's questions.

"I agree." Shikamaru concluded, giving a glance to Hinata. In that glance, he noticed quite a lot of things. The small sweat on her forehead, her breathing while looking almost normal, just quite wasn't. Her dress didn't fit to her body as much as they used to.

He continued.

"Is there anything else that you want to do?" Shikamaru asked, turning back to Naruto. He just sighed, not really knowing what else.

But Hinata interrupted, as much as she didn't want to.

"Hm, I hate to leave the conversation, but I do have excuse myself." She told them, putting a hand on Naruto's back. She had the sudden urge to use the restroom, something she had grown used to.

"Of course." Naruto acknowledged, being used to it as well.

Shikamaru watched as she left the room, knowing that Naruto was watching him. She bowed to both of them before closing the door behind him.

There was a beat.

"You know," he turned his head back over to Naruto. "There are things I notice that most people don't."

"I ah… don't know what you mean." Naruto told him, still trying to play innocent.

Shikamaru huffed at him, tired of these answers.

"She walks slower, the portions she's eating are bigger, she doesn't drink champagne anymore, her clothing isn't as fitted as it usually is, and she's even tired all the time. You can't expect me- someone who is around her every day- to not notice."

He held his breath as Shikamaru spoke, trying to think of some sort of reason or excuse for what he was describing.

But he couldn't.

"I just… I'm sorry." He sighed, speechless for a way out. "I should have told you, I know." He didn't want to deal with the upcoming lecture.

"Damn right you should have!" Shikamaru yelled at him, slapping his palm to Naruto's head, thumping him. Naruto winced back from his hand, rubbing the spot he hit.

"We just only told the people who we thought it was necessary to know!" He tried to defend.

"Oh, and who is that?" Shikamaru asked, dumbfounded.

"Well… me, Hinata, Tsunade, and Hanabi." Naruto answered, feeling strange that Shikamaru's name wasn't on that list.

"Okay, but then why not tell me?!" Shikamaru argued back.

"We didn't want to tell you because we weren't sure you would understand how serious it was to keep it a secret!"

"You think I wouldn't? Of course, I would! You think I don't get the idea of what could happen if this gets out?"

"I-It's not that you wouldn't get the idea, its that's you haven't lived it!" Naruto threw back, raising his voice higher than he expected to.

Shikamaru paused.

"What do you mean I haven't lived it?" he asked.

Naruto sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"I mean, we were there when Hiashi was stabbed right next to Hinata, when… her own father's blood sprayed on her. We were there at her coronation when it was _me_ that stabbed right through her. But you… You don't know that."

Shikamaru stood there, quiet, letting his words sink in. He could see the fear in his eyes, and the power in his stance. The two contradicted each other in an almost perfect way.

He broke it with a groan.

"Okay, I get it, I get it. But the fact of the matter still stands that you should have told me, especially when I've already figured it out." Shikamaru crossed his arms.

"Well… sorry you had to find out this way." Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose.

Naruto shifted his eyes over to his assistant, noting that his own eyes were closed shut, pinched together. His eyebrows angled deep down. Shikamaru started walking towards him. The beat of his shoes against the wooden ground were like stabs through the chest with every hit. The room was completely silent otherwise. Naruto was ready for a lecture from him, about how him knowing would have changed his direction on various things, how it changes plans moving forward, what were they going to do about this or that or whatever else he could come up with. He hoped that Hinata was gone long enough to avoid walking in on the conversation.

But then, Shikamaru smirked.

"How else am I supposed to know to congratulate you."

He placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder. It took Naruto a moment to process what he said, not even listening to him. He just noticed his face changed. It was such a drastic change- from scrunched and annoyed, to soft and almost excited. It wasn't until the next thing he said that Naruto fully comprehended him.

"How long have you two known?"

Naruto was glad for the subject change. He relaxed his shoulders, returning a small smile back to Shikamaru.

"Ah… three months or so." He answered, folding his own arms in front of his chest.

Shikamaru chortled.

"It was that day, huh? When she convinced you to stay?" Shikamaru concluded.

Naruto just shook his head.

"Smart as ever, aren't you?" Naruto responded.

Shikamaru scoffed at his remark before responding.

"I'll keep it secret, I promise. No matter what I won't tell anyone." Shikamaru assured him, feeling the sigh of relief leave his body.

"Thank you, Shikamaru." He told him with relief.

Shikamaru nudged Naruto's shoulder forward with his hand, giving the hint that they were leaving. Naruto got the queue.

"Come on, we have to go assign more guards to the city entrances before we can talk about this more."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MMM I can like… almost 100% guarantee that this is the last chapter that's going to be short of this entire thing… and theres like… 21 chapters left. I take that back the last one might be a bit shorter But after this point things are going to start falling into place more, we get to tie up some loose ends that im rather excited about, some Hanabi stuff, but there aren't any more… Naruto and Hinata kinda growing as a couple chapters… if that makes sense. Anyway, Im hype, you should be too.


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah yes, Today is actual Hinata's birthday, and here's the chapter to celebrate… Hinata's birthday…
> 
> Totally planned.

She was staring at herself in the mirror, playing with the layers of her dress to make them lay right.

It was mostly red, the warmest red you could imagine. A deep rosewood red color, that matched rather well with her complexion and hair. The top was velvet, so every time she rubbed her arms for warmth the fabric would look disturbed in that one area. She had to remind herself to also be smoothing it out. It dropped down lower than most of her dresses, to the middle of her sternum. The back dropped in between her shoulder blades, about the same cut as the front.

Like all her dresses did now, it changed right under her chest to something not as form-fitting. There was a gold ribbon that shimmered with her movement tied underneath her chest, forming a large bow on her back. After that, the dress sprayed out in layers of tulle that matched the color on top. She had grown used to the style, but still thought that she looked like a cupcake from certain angles.

Finally, her hair. Her bangs were fluffed out more than normal, but didn't change much of their appearance. The front of her hair still hung down, straight, next to her face. The rest was pulled back, a pin with two stars and small curls held in place on the left. Once it all met on the back of her head, it cascaded down the rest of the way, raised up a few inches from its normal length.

And at the very top was her crown.

She had gotten used to the difference in size compared to her old one, but she still wasn't used to wearing it. She never had many opportunities to. She wore it not even monthly. Only few ceremonies and occasions called for it, and this so happens to be one.

It's not like every day was her birthday.

"Quit looking at yourself, you look fine." Naruto told her, coming to stand next to her in the small mirror of the waiting room.

She smiled at him, admiring how regal he looked. No matter what he would tell anyone, he always pulled off whatever clothing 'he had to wear.' Mostly fancy jackets and uncomfortable shoes. The vest always had to match as well. They were wearing matching colors, red and gold. On his head as his own crown, a much different shape than hers was. The queens were simple, elegant, one precise shape. His was complicated, sharp, and even jagged. It looked like silver diamonds of alternating sizes were put together- large, small, large, small, large, small- with blue gems inside the middle of each one. He wore it back on his head more than Hiashi did, and it just seemed to suit him so well.

If you ever said such a thing to him, he would argue the complete opposite for hours.

He took her hand in his own, letting out a content sigh as they continued to stare at each other's reflections.

"I think we both look nice." She stated confidently.

Naruto turned in, looking at the real her instead of her reflection, smiling at her.

"It's not hard for you." Naruto told her.

He put a foot forward to close the space in between them, wanting to kiss her forehead, but he ran into something else first.

He hit her stomach before he could kiss her forehead.

He still made sure to kiss her before commenting on it, not missing the chance.

"That's a first." He commented with a laugh.

"Yeah… sorry about that." She laughed lightheartedly. He just shook his head with a smile, putting a hand on the bump he had run into, patting her dress down.

"You know you're going to have to hive her back one day." He commented.

Hinata laughed at his antics before placing her own kiss on him.

…

"Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru turned his head towards whoever was calling for him. He was surprised he heard it through the crowds of people gathered in the ballroom, each having their own conversations. Different people from all walks of life were laughing, bellowing, catching up on times they were apart, anything they could think of. He was trying to catch up to Hanabi. This was her first formal party and he wanted to make sure she didn't mess anything up.

But now Shikamaru's attention was solely on the girl that was trying to weasel her way through the crowds towards him.

"Sakura, is something wrong?" He asked as she got closer to him.

He had known Sakura from training, but never talked to her outside of that. Hinata considered her to be one of her closest friends.

She pushed through the last people with a huff, straightening her dress out. It was blue.

"Well… kind of. I couldn't get an answer from Tsunade, so I'm hoping you would know anything." She premised.

Shikamaru crossed his arms. If Tsunade couldn't say, why did she think that he would?

"What is it?"

Sakura cleared her throat before starting.

"It's just that every time I stop by to catch up with the two of them, Hinata mainly, she can't." Sakura stated with a sigh. "We used to catch up every week and we would just talk about whatever we wanted to, just me and her. I mean it's not like it's something big and elaborate we must plan for. I get that she's the ruler of a country and things come up, but even during the summer she always had time. Nowadays I barely even see either one of them."

Shikamaru nodded, knowing the real reason being that since they were both so close to Sakura the secret would easily be spilled. They both acted much more casually around her. Shikamaru knew they could only keep it hidden for another month or so, but it wasn't his place to tell her anything.

"Well… they've just had a lot of visitors lately. They constantly have to host them. It's a pain for me too." Shikamaru lied.

"Hm…" Sakura groaned, folding her arms. She was going to reply with something, but a banging noise interrupted her thoughts.

It interrupted everyone else's as well, as the room fell silent. It came from the top of the staircase in the ballroom. A smaller guard, in full uniform, was the one that made the sound. It was a large staff that he hit on the ground. Sakura thought it looked like marble.

He didn't say anything, but instead gestured to the two workers fancily clad behind him. They were both standing in front of one door from a double set. Once they got the message they reached for the handles, slowly pulling them open.

And then out stepped Naruto and Hinata.

"Well that's a lovely color on both of them, don't you think?" Sakura overheard from the crowd.

"Her hair is always so flattering."

"His eyes are so blue I can see them from here."

"Are they going to do a dance? I sure hope so."

Were all among other things that Sakura overheard as she watched them descend the staircase, Hinata linked in his arm. She noticed that they were talking to each other, leaning back and forth. She wondered to herself what they were talking about.

"Hinata, if you aren't feeling up to it, we don't have to do the first dance." He told her. She didn't know that he had already worked it out with the live musicians that they might not be doing it. They were ready for either, depending on if they stopped in the middle of the room or not.

Hinata smiled at him. "I'm fine to do it. I'm actually rather excited about tonight."

Naruto nodded his head. "Well not every day is your birthday." He told her as they got to the bottom of the staircase.

Hinata takes a deep breath before they begin, silently thanking herself for opting for the lower shoes this year. She does a slight nod to the musicians in the corner, allowing them to start.

The dance goes better than any they had done so far. She was smiling practically the entire time, which made him do the same in return. No step was missed by either one of them, every turn was right, and they were never offbeat.

She did admit to herself that she was much more tired than she thought she would be.

Naruto hugged her as best he could, thanking her for dancing with him as the musicians changed the song. Soon various other couples and royalty were on the floor, dancing either for fun or because they felt they had to. Naruto knew they would be swamped in just seconds with people greeting them.

The first of which was Hanabi.

"Hinata! Do you see this giant pile over here?!" Hanabi asked her, pointing off in a direction of the ballroom. She looked over and noticed all the elaborately wrapped items in baskets, boxes, ribbons and bows. She was honestly a bit confused.

"Are they- "

"They're all presents people brought for you!" Hanabi interrupted.

Hinata heard Naruto laugh as he observed the pile, and Hinata just looked confused.

"Why did… why did people bring presents?" she asked quietly, not understanding.

"Because it's your birthday, people give presents." Naruto told her, surprised by her confusion.

"Really? None of my other birthdays had presents. Well, except for that lovely cupcake." She admitted, still craving for another one a year later.

Hanabi grabbed her sisters arm, pulling her in the direction.

"C'mon! Let's go look at them all!" She exclaimed as she drug her sister away from where she was.

"Ah, wait Hanabi!" Hinata yelled at her as they both disappeared in that direction Naruto still laughing.

Then he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see who it was.

"Ah! Sakura, I'm glad you made it!" He greeted her, accepting the hug she was offering with a smile.

"It has been a while, hasn't it?" she stated as he turned back forward. She watched as a line of people seemed to start in front of him, all wanting to shake his hand.

Sakura looked over the crowd and observed that a similar thing was happening next to Hinata, much to Hanabi's dislike.

"It must be fun with the both of them around, huh? Hinata and Hanabi both." Sakura asked him, watching as Hanabi huffed while waiting for her sister.

Naruto glanced over in that direction, shaking someone else's hand.

"Ah, never can catch a break with either one." He commented, angling his head back towards her.

"That's a different style dress than Hinata normally wears, they usually flare out in a different place." Sakura noted.

Naruto thought it was insane that people noticed that, let alone commented on it.

But he calmly responded to her comment.

"She just likes that style recently."

In his mind, he congratulated himself on how natural it sounded.

She kept watching Hinata, she had a small conversation with one of the people that came over to greet her, a smile never leaving her face. They talked only for about thirty seconds, and he bowed to her when they were done. Hinata bowed back.

And Sakura breathed in sharply.

If she didn't know Hinata, if this was the first time she had ever seen Hinata then she would not have even noticed the difference, but when she bowed back, the fabric of her dress gathered rather strangely under her, making her look almost-

She shook the thought, not wanting to draw conclusions that weren't there. It was a different style than normal, so that might be why. It was just cut differently, that's all.

Sakura turned her attention back to Naruto, helping her think of something else.

"Ah… This is the first time I've seen you wear your crown." She commented, hoping he could hear her.

He shook someone else's hand, seeming to be the last person for now. He turned over to her.

"Yeah, it's heavy but I have to wear it." He told her with a sigh.

"Well I think it looks rather nice. Helps keep your hair in place."

Naruto chuckled.

"Nothing can do that." He simply stated.

Sakura could see out of the corner of her eye that Hinata was coming back this direction. She nudged her head in that direction, telling Naruto to turn around.

He turned around to greet her, kissing her forehead for the second time tonight, stretching his neck more to do it.

"Sakura, how have you been?" Hinata asked, noting their friend's presence behind them.

"Oh, you know… the same as I always have." She laughed awkwardly, never having a good answer for that question.

"Well, as long as that isn't a complaint." Hinata commented, a bit worried.

"Oh, it's not!" Sakura assured her. Hinata smiled.

"That's good to hear." She commented before turning to Naruto.

"Would you like to dance?" she asked him. He smiled and leaned down next to her ear and whispered something that Sakura couldn't hear. Hinata just laughed at whatever he said.

"Yes, don't worry." She replied to him before taking his hand in beat with the song.

Sakura watched as they joined in with everyone else that was dancing, enjoying their time together. She still couldn't get over how much they loved each other constantly. In conversations, in glances, touches, or gestures. Everything just seemed to say 'I love you'.

Someone cleared their throat next to Sakura.

She turned her head towards the man whose hand was outstretched towards her, his back slightly bent.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked her.

She didn't know the man, had no indicator of who he was, but she didn't want to just stand there and watch everyone else.

She put her hand in his.

"That sounds nice."

…..

Sakura had found that most royal festivities were the same. There was dancing- with the host performing the first of the evening- then they ate, and after that dancing resumed until the hosts retired, then everyone went home for the night. She honestly thought it was rather predictable.

When the music died down, she knew it was phase two of the night. Everyone clapped for the musicians, thanking them for playing, before they crowd shifted their way towards the dining area. This year it was different, there were only two spots at the head table. She assumed it was for Naruto and Hinata.

On her invitation, it told her where to sit. Table 1 seat 4. While the tables weren't marked, it was obvious to her which tables were what number. The closest to the couple was one, and beyond that she didn't need to know.

Tsunade was sat second at the table, and Hanabi was first. She could only assume that the third seat was for Shikamaru, if the pattern fit. She nodded to Hanabi and took her seat next to Tsunade, opposite of the empty chair that was supposedly Shikamaru's.

She looked around the room, wondering where he was even at. Most people were already in their seats, but he was still standing, talking to someone. She didn't recognize the girl at all, but they seemed to be talking rather heavily about something.

Naruto approached him, talking to him about something she couldn't hear.

He coughed to clear his throat.

"Shikamaru." He stated, making sure to be behind him. He flinched at Naruto's voice, stopping whatever he was saying to the woman.

She actually spoke first.

"Oh! I'm so sorry for occupying him too long. Please forgive me." She stated with a bow of humility. Naruto chuckled, accepting her apologies.

"It's no worries, but you should go find your seat." Naruto told her, putting a hand on Shikamaru's shoulder to turn him towards his own seat.

"Ah, yes. I will do that." She said rather hurried. Naruto had a hint about what he interrupted, but didn't want to jump to conclusions just yet.

She turned around and walked hurriedly over to her seat, feeling embarrassed.

Naruto and Shikamaru started walking in the direction of their own.

"So, ah… who was that?" Naruto asked him. "It's unlike you to be so distracted. The music stopped playing five minutes ago."

"She just some woman, I don't even remember her name." Shikamaru admitted casually. "And she just kept talking and talking that I couldn't get away. Now it's just a pain because we're the last to sit down."

"Ah, well I'll be sure to tell her that she needs to stop talking so much to you." Naruto tried to bait.

"What? Don't tell Temari that, that'd just be more troublesome." Shikamaru replied as they got to his table.

He took the bait.

"I thought you said you didn't remember her name? And you we're also doing a fair bit of talking with her- it wasn't just her." Naruto commented, feeling proud that he had caught Shikamaru in something.

"I don't know what you mean." Shikamaru said calmly, taking his seat. Naruto just rolled his eyes as he leaned down next to him.

"I notice things others don't." Naruto smirked before leaving.

Sakura, Tsunade, and Hanabi all we're staring at him, wondering what conversation they just heard the last of.

"What…did he mean by that?" Sakura asked him.

Shikamaru just sighed.

"It means he's getting smarter."

Naruto walked the few feet it was to his spot next to his already seated wife, who was echoing a look like the table's that he just left.

"What was that about?" She asked him as he sat down.

"It seems that my advisor has a thing for the Wind King's sister." He laughed, adjusting himself in his chair.

"You don't mean… Temari?" She asked, hesitant if that was her name.

"Mmmhm. He never talks to anyone for that long about anything. Ever." Naruto explained.

"Hm, interesting. I wonder how that will play out." Hinata commented, noticing that Shikamaru was looking off in her direction across the room.

The wait staff came by, dropping food off left and right around everyone. They skipped the King and Queen as was tradition for them to be served last. Meals were served from the last table, up. By the time that Sakura got her food, it was only a minute before the head table got theirs.

She noticed that Hinata went to take a drink from her glass- it being crystal like everyone else's. But she didn't drink it. She sniffed it instead, taking in whatever smell it was giving off. After a moment to ponder the smell, she turned to Naruto, telling him something that she couldn't hear. His response wasn't much better, but she could see him say 'I'm sorry.' She just smiled at him.

When the wait staff put down the plate of food in front of her, she stopped him. He bowed to her, taking her glass.

The entire room started eating now, since they were both served, but Sakura just kept watching. She was curious about what was wrong with her drink. It looked like wine just like everyone else's. Maybe something was in it? Or the glass was dirty? Something just drew her to know. She rolled with the motions of eating her food- a lovely roasted duck- but her eyes never yielded from their fixed spot.

Then the waiter reappeared, holding a glass in his hand, bowing as he sat it down next to her. It wasn't wine, at least not the wine she had before. It was more brown, more transparent. It even looked to be steaming with heat. If Sakura had to guess she would think it was tea.

She broke away from her stare, looking down at her own plate. She knew that Hinata loved wine, why wouldn't she drink it? Sakura's own tasted wonderful it was a shame if Hinata didn't like it. The last time she substituted tea for wine was the last night they were around each other. Because of her refusal to drink, Sakura had the entire bottle. It was all because Hinata was being careful in case she…

Sakura paused, halting her fork.

Her eyes widened. Surely that couldn't, be it? Maybe she was still just being careful. But then what about what she saw earlier with her dress? No, that was just the dress doing it, not her body. Besides, Hinata would have told her. I mean, Sakura would understand the two of them not telling the public, but its not like they were avoiding her so that they wouldn't…

Hinata got up from her chair, turning to Naruto. He nodded at whatever she had said. Sakura didn't know when she also stood up, but she started moving as Hinata was walking down the ballroom, towards a small side exit.

"Hey, where are you going?" Tsunade asked her, confused by the sudden movement.

"Oh," Sakura started walking backwards. "I just realized that I have something reaaally important to tell Hinata." She lied.

Thankfully Hinata wasn't in too much of a hurry for Sakura to catch up with her.

"Hinata!" She called to her after closing the distance. Hinata turned around, greeting her with a curious smile.

"Ah, I was heading to use the restroom, did you need something?" she asked, unsure of Sakura's intentions.

Sakura started walking in pace with her towards the exit, putting a smile on her face.

"I just needed to go as well." She lied again, honestly just wanting time to talk with her.

"I see, well if you want I can show you." She offered.

"Oh, that'd be great!" she exclaimed, opening the side exit of the ballroom.

They walked down the hallway, where the windows were open. The cool breeze filling in from the night air. Hinata stopped for a moment to look at the open windows, and Sakura tried to find just what she was looking at.

"This is my favorite place in the castle." Hinata admitted before continuing down the hallway.

"Really? You've never mentioned it before." Sakura told her.

"Oh, the view is just lovely during the fall, with all the leaves changing. My sister and I used to play in this hallway, since it was barely used in the day to day of the castle. Our mother would sit on the ledge there and read, keeping an eye on the two of us playing." Hinata explained.

"That sounds nice." She admitted. Sakura always wondered about what having siblings would be like.

"Mmhm, it's also…" She shook her head with a laugh. "It's also where he first kissed me." She admitted, blushing as she said it.

"What?! You never told me that!" Sakura exclaimed. "I didn't know he was so romantic." She mumbled.

"Oh, when he tries its rather…bad. Sweet and nice, but usually doesn't end up working out." But when it's in the moment and offhand, those are incredible." She confessed, seeming to daydream.

Sakura gave her a sly look.

"Ah! Sorry for going on like that, I'm sure you don't want to hear those kinds of things." She apologized. Sakura rolled her eyes with a smile.

They continued walking down the hall, turning the corner. Sakura thought that they must be going to the restroom that only she and him could use… and Sakura since she knew where it was.

"So… any updates on your issue?" Sakura asked.

"What issue?" Hinata asked, not knowing what she was talking about.

"You know, the whole 'producing an heir' thing you were so stressed about last time we talked." Sakura answered.

She could see Hinata's face change from relaxed to nervous.

"Oh, w-why do you ask that?" Hinata muttered, slowing down her pace.

"Because you were so worked up about it, I want to know if anything else has happened. I'm your friend after all." Sakura told her, putting a hand on her shoulder. Even if Sakura was wrong and Hinata wasn't pregnant, she still wanted to be there for her since it was something she was worrying about.

Hinata chewed her lip as she looked at Sakura's expression. It was so honest and caring, she truly wanted to know. She even remembered what they talked about months ago,. She debated it in her head, knowing they couldn't keep the secret much longer. Sakura was her closest friend, and she had been dying to share some excitement with somebody.

Hinata held her breath, looking down the hallway both ways, noting that no one was there. She grabbed Sakura's hand, walking down just a few feet to the nursemaids' hallway, an area that blended in so well with the wall it looked like there wasn't even a door there to begin with. She slipped both her and Sakura inside, turning on the small lamp that hung from the ceiling.

Sakura looked around her in shock. Her surroundings changed so much in such a small amount of time, and she didn't even know this room existed.

"Where… are we?" Sakura asked, observing the low ceiling, narrow hallway, and shelving that had towels, dusters, and various other cleaning supplies on them.

"It's a nursemaids' closet, but that's not important right now." Hinata told her, barely able to contain her own excite.

Sakura gave her a curious look. She was hiding her own excitement better than Hinata was.

She cleared her throat.

"You can't tell anyone you know this, not a soul. There are only three other people that know this aside from me and Naruto. I really mean it, not anyone." Hinata told her firmly, making sure she got her word.

"I promise, not a single person will know." Sakura assured her.

Hinata gave her a happy sigh, relieved to get her word. For some reason, Sakura made her think back to when she was younger and did get excited about things, like toys and vacations. It made her feel like a little girl.

"So" she took a deep breath. "I don't have to worry about that issue anymore because we're-"

"You're having a kid!" Sakura exclaimed, clasping her hands around Hinata's. "Ah! Oh, my god this is incredible! I-I-I can't believe you didn't tell me sooner, this is just such _big_ news! I'm so happy for you two this is just insane! Oh goodness you have to tell me ever-"

Hinata shushed her to quiet her down, but even Hinata was smiling at the excitement.

"You have to keep quiet, I can't have the whole castle knowing!" She whispered.

"Right, right, I'm sorry!" Sakura replied, matching her volume.

She took a deep breath.

"One question at a time." She breathed out. "How far?"

"Four months." Hinata confidently answered.

"Can I" Sakura held up her hand. "Feel?"

Hinata smiled, nodding her head.

Sakura's face lit up as she moved her hand on to her friend, meeting her rounded stomach much sooner than she anticipated.

"Oooh this is so exciting!" She exclaimed, doing small jumps in excitement.

"Only me, Naruto, Tsunade, Shikamaru, and Hanabi know." She said, holding up a finger for every person. "And now you." She smiled, holding up her index finger on her other hand.

"I have so many other questions to ask!" Sakura commented. Hinata laughed at her enthusiasm, but put her hand on Sakura's shoulder.

"I don't think we have time since we've been gone for a while already." Hinata told her, watching Sakura's shoulders sink.

"…But you can come by tomorrow and ask all you want." Hinata offered, knowing that would be better than talking in a closet.

"Yes! Count me in!"

….

They never went to the bathroom. Their detour took too long and Hinata just decided to skip it. She returned to the ballroom as everyone was finishing their food. They both took their respective seats.

"What was that about?" Naruto asked as she sat down, continuing her meal where she left off.

"Well… she wanted to catch up and I sort of…"

"You told her, didn't you?" Naruto concluded.

"Yeah, I did." Hinata confirmed, feeling a bit embarrassed that she spilled the secret. "But she promised not to tell anyone, not a soul."

Naruto sighed, moving his chair out from behind him.

"I knew we'd end up telling her at some point, I'm just anticipating the earful from her about waiting so long. Shikamaru didn't give me one too bad, so I can only assume that it's all going to come from her." He commented, standing up fully.

"What are you doing?" she asked, not knowing why he was standing.

"I want to give a toast."

"You wrote something?" she asked him.

"Nope."

Before Hinata could respond, he cleared his throat. Silence swept the room like a chill, to where the sound of a pin dropping would be deafening.

' _Alright, just don't forget what you know.'_ He thought to himself.

This was the first time he had spoken in front of any crowd, not really having a need to until now. Even then this was something he just decided as he saw Hinata walking back to her seat. He breathed in deep.

"You all may not know Hinata as well as I know her, but let me tell you that no one is more deserving of being celebrated than she is. Her accomplishments are plenty, her talents are countless, and above everything she remains humbled. She is above no one else in her mind, but in mine… She's first, and she always will be. Even if it's not your birthday, every day your happiness goes above mine. You are nothing short of amazing. So, to this birthday, and many more to come, I drink."

Everyone else drank before applauding. He waved his hand as he sat back down, thanking them.

Hinata turned in to him.

"Not bad for your first time not planning a speech." She admitted with a laugh. "It was lovely."

Naruto chuckled, leaning in to meet her.

"I learned from the best."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I not publish this yesterday just so I could publish it today on Hinata's actual birthday? Yes, yes I did. Did I plan this entire arc, even the story itself so that this would fall on her actual birthday? Nay, I did not. I did start writing it on Naruto's birthday though, and that was on purpose. Anyway, this is to really sink in the relationship that Sakura has with them, since she's more relevant later, as well as just some nice times. Also my wedding colors are red and gold that's why they're wearing it fight me.


	37. Chapter 37

The fire was cackling in its place, the warmth of it warming the entire room. The two chairs that were next to it had a warm tint to them, as well as the two people that occupied them.

"You aren't still in love with him, are you?" Hinata asked her, putting a hand over her mouth.

"Well I just… I don't know. I haven't seen him in so long I don't know what I would do if I saw him again." Sakura admitted. "Sasuke has just been through so much and has suffered for so long… maybe if someone was nice to him then he wouldn't… be so bad." Se huffed.

"But that's a long shot. I don't even know how he feels about me. He would come over and I would make him dinner and we would read or play card games, some days Naruto would even join us. But one day… he just changed."

Hinata didn't really know what to say to her, she didn't know her feelings towards Sasuke at any point. While Hinata has only had very few interactions with him, he was someone who had a threat dangling above them, promising to come back for Naruto, and she was sure that involved her, not even wanting to think about their child.

"Just… let us deal with him, he's extremely dangerous." Hinata told her.

"Oh, trust me, I know. I saw what he did to Shino. I had to do most of the surgeries on him. I just don't want to believe he did that."

They were in Hinata's and Naruto's bedroom, waiting on Naruto to finish up with meeting someone so they could have dinner together. The conversation just sort of came up as they waited, since they were talking about anything and everything.

There was a knock at the door.

"Oh, that's probably him." Hinata said. Usually he wouldn't knock, he'd just come in. She figured it was because Sakura was here with her.

"Come in!" She answered from her chair. The door opened, but it wasn't Naruto that was in the doorway, it was Hanabi.

"Oh! Hanabi, do you need something?" Hinata asked.

Hanabi approached the two girls.

"Actually, I need to talk to you about something… preferably in private. B-but I can come back if you want me to." She stated, and Hinata turned to Sakura, then back to Hanabi.

"Sorry Hanabi, can it wai-"

"No no! It's fine. I have some leftovers I need to eat at home anyway." Sakura mentioned, standing up from her chair.

"But, are you sure?" Hinata asked her as Sakura straightened out her dress.

"Oh yeah! I can come back some other time, don't worry about it!" She assured, walking towards the door. "Besides, it seems pretty important."

"Well, I can't stop you, but we can do this on… Wednesday?" Hinata asked as she reached for the door handle.

"Wednesday." Sakura confirmed.

She bit both of them goodbye before going out the door.

"Well, I didn't mean for her to leave…" Hanabi commented after she shut the door.

"… is something wrong? You seem quiet." Hinata asked her, watching as she stood behind the chair that Sakura was just in.

"Well… in the Earth country there's a town that has one of the best festivals this time of year in two months… and I really want to go see it." She explained.

Hinata sighed, thankful it wasn't a more serious matter, but still had to give her regrets.

"Hanabi you know that I can't travel right now, and it's a two-week's trip just to their capital- much too long for either one of us to be gone simply for a vacation." She answered honestly, knowing it wasn't what Hanabi wanted to hear.

But Hanabi seemed to light up instead.

"No, that's fine! You can stay here and I can just go by myself!" she suggested happily.

"No." Hinata stated clearly, crossing her arms in her chair.

It was a harsh tone that pierced through Hanabi's happy demeanor she just had. Hanabi expected some hesitation, but not a complete no.

"But why not?" she asked, almost laughing at how absurd her sister sounded. Hanabi thought she just needed some more convincing.

"You're too young to leave the country on your own. If you wanted to go somewhere within our borders, I would have no objections, but your actions can have severe consequences in other places, even if you think they won't." Hinata explained. As much as she loved her sister, some days she didn't think before she acted.

"But I'm just going to visit, not for business or anything! We're allies with them, aren't we?" Hanabi asked, knowing the answer already.

"Yes, we are, but if you slip up that that alliance can be ruined, you know that? You're just too young to know the consequences." She repeated, shaking her head.

"Too young? You're the one that's running the entire country at just twenty, is married, _and_ having a kid. Don't you think that's a bit too young?" Hanabi huffed, not understanding what her sister thinks would happen If she went.

Hinata's face turned sour. She got up from her chair and walked the few feet it was between her and her sister.

"You and I are very different people, Hanabi. Father told me to take this role, and that's what I did. I didn't chose it. I did chose love but that is no concern for this conversation." She stated.

"Hinata you realize I wouldn't really be going alone, there would be military escorting me the entire time." Hanabi reminded, trying to change the subject. She knew there was a difference between her and Hinata, but she was running out of points to argue.

"You want them to accompany you on some… adventure for a month at least away from their families?" Hinata asked her, knowing she wasn't thinking this all the way through.

"Okay, maybe they escort me to the border, then some of their military could take me the rest of the way." Hanabi tried to compromise, but Hinata just shook her head.

"Hanabi it's just not good timing right now, maybe next year." She sighed, feeling tired just from this conversation.

"You asked me what I wanted to do with my life, and I want to travel and and experience things! Why would you ask if I couldn't even do it?" she exclaimed, getting mad at the situation.

"I'm not saying you can't, just start… smaller. Start closer here. You just aren't ready for something so big." Hinata put a hand to her forehead, not knowing why her sister was still set on this.

But Hanabi finally gave.

"Fine…. If that's how you feel." Hanabi hesitantly agreed.

Hinata watched as her sister turned sharply, leaving the room with her head held high. She opened the door sharply, leaving it that way as she stepped out.

"Whoa! Sorry Hanabi, didn't know you were there, dinner is almost ready if you're… joining us.." Naruto apologized, almost hitting her as he approached the door to their bedroom. But she didn't stop to say anything, no comments, no acknowledging he was there, she just kept walking.

He entered the bedroom slowly, watching Hanabi as she disappeared into her own.

' _Is she okay?'_ he thought as he heard her door close. He tucked inside the room, closing their own door as well. He turned to Hinata just as she sat back down in a huff. Surely something just happened between the two of them.

He walked over slowly, noticing the look of annoyance on her face-a look she rarely had.

"So… what just happened?" he asked, then looked around the room "And where's Sakura?" taking the chair opposite of her.

Hinata almost laughed.

"Sakura left because Hanabi wanted to talk to me. She wants to travel… to another country. By herself, nonetheless! I mean, she's just too immature right now for me to trust her to do something like that, and the trip is just so long and there are so many things that could go wrong… I don't know how she thought it would be a good idea." She explained. "I mean, I feel like a terrible sister for telling her no, but I just can't let her."

She stared into the fire, waiting for a response from Naruto, but it never came. She wasn't sure why he wasn't speaking until he saw the look on his face. He wasn't looking at her, he was looking at the ground with his lips pursed, almost like he didn't want to say anything.

"Don't… you don't agree with her, do you?" she asked, not expecting this reaction.

He sighed, running a hand through his blonde hair.

"Ah, yeah I do, actually." He admitted.

"You can't be serious."

He leaned forward in his chair, resting his arms on his thighs.

"I mean, I traveled the world when I was fifteen, it did me a lot of good! I saw sights, experienced things, met people. It made me a better person I think." He explained his reasoning.

"Yes, but you had someone with you the entire time." Hinata pointed out.

Naruto pointed at her. "Yeah, but all he did was pay for food and a place to stay- something that Hanabi will have anywhere she goes."

Hinata just shook her head.

"She isn't ready for something so big." Hinata reminded him and herself.

"and why do you say that? She has a lot more knowledge than I did at fifteen. I think she's plenty prepared. After all, she's just going to a festival." He countered.

Hinata stayed silent, closing her eyes.

"I mean I can write a letter to their King and Queen, let them know that she's coming, but it will only be for sight-seeing. They'll take care of her, I know they will." He assured her.

There was a moment of silence between them as he waited for her answer. He could tell she was holding her breath.

She let it out with a sigh, relaxing her shoulders.

"Fine, okay, I'll let her go. But if she messes up it's on you to fix it." Hinata gave in.

"You won't regret it!" Naruto told her with the clap of his hands. "We can tell her at dinner." He suggested as he stood up.

"Is it already that late?" Hinata asked him, standing up in suit.

He waited for her to catch up to him before leaving the room.

"That's why I came by, was to come get you for dinner." He explained, opening the door for her.

They made their way to the dining hall, Naruto catching her up on the status of Shino. He was finally able to start walking again, still being kept in the hospital. Hinata appreciated the update, saying that they need to gift his with something for all he's been through. He agreed as they opened the door to the dining hall.

"Strange… I thought Hanabi would be here. It's not like her to miss dinner." Naruto said, circling the table to his seat.

"You don't think she's not eating with us because she's mad at me, do you?" Hinata asked as she sat.

"I wouldn't be surprised." He agreed. "Do you want me to check on her?"

Hinata sighed. "If you would. If that's the case I'm sure she wouldn't want to talk to me."

Naruto laughs, telling Hinata that he'll smooth it over and he'll be right back, kissing her before he left.

He was always hesitant knocking on Hanabi's door, never knowing how to really interact with her. It wasn't until Hinata and him were married that he saw her more, and got to know her better.

So, it was strange that she didn't answer the door.

"Hanabi… you know it's me, you can open up." He said from the other side, but he still didn't get an answer. He was tempted to open the door, but if she was really in there he didn't want to face her if he came in without permission.

So he waited. Maybe she was in the bathroom and didn't hear him? Maybe she just had to finish changing into something lighter for dinner. He knocked a few more times in the process, but heard not a sound.

It had been a good five minutes before he had given up.

"Okay Hanabi, I'm going to open the door whether you want to talk or not."

He reached for the handle and pulled it open slowly, giving her time to react in case she needed to. He poked his head in slowly, looking around as best he could only to find her not in there.

"What the… I didn't pass her on the way over here… where is she?" he wondered as he stepped into her room, noting the stuffed animals that hadn't changed.

Nothing seemed out of order, nothing was disturbed. The bed was made, drawers were closed, and nothing was on the floor-a first for her. He stood in the room dumbfounded as to where she could be.

Then he noticed the breeze. It was cold yet soft, lightly blowing. He turned his head towards the breeze, finding it's source was an open window.

' _Why is her window open?'_ he thought, approaching it. It was too tall for her to open herself… unless she climbed on top of the desk that was underneath it.

"Y-your Grace?" someone said. Naruto turned around towards the doorway. It was one of the nursemaids.

"Ah, Naruto is fine." He told her, changing his demeanor. She smiled at him, patting down the towels she had in her hand.

"Right, is something the matter?" she asked him, watching as he approached.

"Well, I'm looking for Hanabi, but I can't find her… you haven't seen her, have you?" he asked, almost certain she wouldn't know.

"Hmm, I want to say I heard that someone saw her heading towards the stables, but that was almost fifteen minutes ago." She admitted, feeling she wasn't too much help

"The stables?" Naruto said, surprised. "Why would she be going to the…." He tilted his head down, before drawing a conclusion. "Oh, she better not have."

The nursemaid watched as he walked briskly down the hallway, getting faster as he went on.

"I-is that helpful?!" she yelled to him down the hall, wondering what was happening.

He turned around, but was running backwards. "Ah, yes! Thank you!" he told her, before turning the corner.

He ran back to the dining hall to tell Hinata. He didn't want her going after her sister, but she needed to know that he was. HE still didn't want to believe that she would have done something as dumb as running off on her own, without protection, to a different country, in protest of her sister's judgement.

He opened the door rather harshly, locking eyes with Hinata whose food was just served.

"She's not… in her room." He told her, taking a moment to catch his breath.

"What? Well, where is she?" Hinata asked, starting to rise form her seat. Naruto put a hand up to her.

"Not sure, but her window was open and she was seen going to the stables." He explained as he walked towards her.

"You… you don't think that she ran off on her own, do you?" Hinata worried. Naruto shook his head.

"I don't know, but you don't worry. I'll find her, I promise." He assured, not wanting her to worry as much as she already was.

….

He ran through the snow, going into the stables that we're on the north side of the castle grounds, looking for the guard on duty. He was inside, brushing through one of the horse's manes. He shook some of the snow off his pant leg, calling to him.

"Did Hanabi come here and get a horse?" he said rather suddenly, startling the young worker. He dropped his brush at the sudden voice, causing the horse the whinny.

"Ah, S-sir! Yes, she did!" he said nervously, debating whether to stay at attention or grab the brush he dropped.

Naruto sighed, wishing she hadn't. he went over to the closest stable, getting the horse from inside it.

"Do you know which way she went?" he asked, putting a saddle on the horse.

"Ah… she headed off towards the east gate." He answered, deciding to pick up his brush.

Naruto put a foot in the saddle, hoisting himself on top of the horse.

"East, got it. Thanks." He told him, finding Hanabi being the main thing on his mind. She had at least fifteen minutes on him, and he needed to make that up.

He kicked the side of the horse, taking off out of the stable.

The snow made it easier to track her, her own horse leaving markings in the snow. They didn't seem to be going very fast as they were precise unlike the mess of snow he was leaving behind. She obviously wasn't in a hurry.

He stopped as he exited through the east gates, confronting the pair of guards standing watch. They were confused at his presence.

"Hanabi go through here, yeah? Which way did she go?" he asked rather fast. He was annoyed he didn't get an immediate answer, but couldn't blame them since they weren't expecting him. They both looked at each other through covered faces, not knowing what to say.

"Ah… yeah, she went that way." One of them finally answered, pointing off to the right.

Naruto didn't respond, and instead just starting riding again. He went in the direction he pointed, knowing that Northeast was the best way to get to the Lightning Country. Surely it couldn't be coincidence she went this way.

The path turned more wooded the farther he went, making him have to concentrate on roots and branches, as well as trying to find Hanabi.

"H-Hanabi! Hanabi where are you?!" He yelled, hoping that would help him find her. He stopped after yelling, listening for anything he could hear.

A short distance away, Hanabi heard him. Well, she heard something.

"What was that?" she mumbled, turning her horse in the direction in came from.

Then she heard it again, thinking it almost sounded like her name, but she didn't know where it was coming from.

' _Do I… do I call back?'_ she wondered, but decided against it until she knew who was yelling. She approached the source quietly, making sure to avoid anything that could sound if her horse were to step on it.

Then she saw him through the trees, looking around in distress.

' _What the… what's Naruto doing out here?"_ she questioned, just watching him for a moment.

"Hanabi, come on!" He yelled once more, knowing how loud his voice could be. Surely, she heard him.

"I'm right here, what's your problem?" she commented, riding out from the trees she was hiding in. she looked confused and annoyed at the same time, a look Naruto did not think she should have.

"You!" he exclaimed, riding over to meet her, causing her own horse to stutter backwards in fear of being run into.

"What do you-

"How did you think this was a good idea?! Going off by yourself to a different country with _NO_ mention to their own rulers? Not to mention just going by yourself is a bad idea!" he yelled at her.

"What?! You do-"

"I-I even convinced Hinata to let you go to this… this whatever you wanted to go to, but then you pull this kind of stunt and just proves that she was right all along!" he continued.

"Will you just-

"You have any idea what would've happened if I hadn't found you?! If you actually left without anyone noticing? Do you have any idea what stress that would put your sister under? On me? Our child?! It's like you're only thinking of yourself!"

" _WILL YOU JUST LISTEN TO ME!?"_ she finally yelled, throwing her arm to the side in anger. Naruto clenched his jaw at her yelling, but remained silent, as she wished.

"Do you honestly think that I would just _run away_ because I was upset about something? No, I wouldn't. I don't know where you even got the idea that I was!" he argued, angered by his accusations.

"Then why was your window open, why'd you take a horse and why are you even out here?!" he retorted, needing answers to those before he would even start believing her.

"I was frustrated, yeah who wouldn't be? So, I decided to go for a ride to get my mind off of it, I wasn't running away! I wasn't going anywhere! I was on my way back when I found you. And as for my window it's just open because it gets stuffy in my bedroom. You know, the reason why you open windows!" she yelled, feeling out of breath after explaining herself.

Naruto felt his entire body tense up, realizing that her reasons made sense. He looked over her horse, noting there was no extra baggage or items on it, clearly not fit for a long trip.

Naruto sighed. He ran his fingers through his hair, looking down in shame.

"I just… sorry. I jumped to conclusions and was frustrated at that conclusion and… I'm just sorry." He admitted, truly feeling terrible. He yelled at her without giving any time for her to explain. He wasn't her father, he couldn't control her, he shouldn't have been the one to scold her.

He looked up at her, feeling the cold glare on him.

"That's right you are." She told him, no sympathy in her voice.

Naruto accepted that as the best he was going to get, turning his horse back towards the castle. He started a few feet before she spoke again.

"You really convinced Hinata?"

He turned his head over, thankful for her conversation.

"Well yeah, I feel like you can handle it." He explained, giving her a small smile.

She rode up next to him, her demeanor completely changed.

"Really?! That's awesome!" she exclaimed, lining her horse next to his. He gave a chuckle.

"She just thinks of you as her little sister, and forgets how capable you are sometimes." He defended Hinata.

They trotted through the snow, watching as it started to fall again.

"You know… Father never gave me the time of day after mom died. Hinata reminded him so much of her and he didn't want to forget about her. So he kind of… ignored me, and never wanted to listen to me and never letting me do anything." She admitted, needing to get it off her chest. She couldn't tell Hinata, so he was her next choice.

"Oh… that must have been terrible." He commented, not sure how to react. Hanabi just shook her head.

"To hear those same words from my own sister… I just got so mad that I felt like I needed to cool off, so I opened my window, but that didn't help. Eventually I just decided that a ride through the snow is what I needed." She sighed.

Naruto nodded his head, understanding her reasoning.

"Well, maybe an outside voice is what Hinata needed." He told her, giving her a smile.

"Thanks for being that voice." She complimented.

They went back through the gate, the two guards that they both passed earlier looked at them curiously as they went back through, no sense of urgency around either one. The same thing happened with the stable worker as they returned the horses, acting like nothing had happened- and nothing, in fact, did happen.

"H-Hanabi!" Hinata yelled as she embraced her sister, crying into her shoulder. Hanabi was a bit put off by the act, but patted her sister's back to show everything was okay.

"I'm so sorry for arguing with you earlier, but what we're you thinking running off like that?!" she tried to scold in between her hiccups.

Hanabi tried to defend herself, but Naruto chimed in instead.

"Actually, she had just gone for a ride, we just kind of… decided she ran away without knowing for sure." He told Hinata as she pulled away from her sister.

"What... you didn't run away? You weren't upset?" Hinata asked her, still having her hands placed on Hanabi's shoulders.

"Well of course I was upset, but I would never run away." She explained.

Hinata shook her head, wiping her eyes off.

"Of course, you wouldn't, you're too wise to know not to. I should have been able to see that." Hinata spoke. "Which reminds me…"

She took a deep breath and straightened out her back, regaining her composure.

"You can leave as soon as next week for your trip… but I would rather you wait until a little closer to the festival before you leave." She said with a smile.

Hanabi returned her smile, trying to hide her excitement.

"Thank you, Hinata." She said. "And I'' definitely be back to meet my niece." She joked, but still sincere.

Hinata laughed.

"I keep telling you that it might not be girl!" Hinata joked back, finding her seat back at the dinner table. She hadn't touched her food since Naruto left.

"Don't worry, I think it's a girl too." Naruto agreed with Hanabi, flowing Hinata to the table.

"See, even he agrees with me." She pointed out, being the last to sit.

"Well then… I'll just disagree with both of you."

… **.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Badoopdoopdoop chapter ENDS! Yaay for Hanabi development. I've been off work since the 22nd and I don't have to go back till the 2nd, so I thought I would have enough time to work on this at home, but since im at home I have my drawing tablet here so ive been drawing and not writing and for that I am sorry. We're so close to the end (not really, but I have it all planned out) that I just have to write them and like im dragging it out by missing just a day and for that I am also sorry.
> 
> I will now share an exert from the notes I have for this chapter.
> 
> "Hina is sitting infront of fire
> 
> in relxation room of castle, nice and
> 
> cozy. ENTER HANABI"
> 
> Next chapter has our boy in it, Sasuke himself. Favorite, review, follow, all that good stuff.


	38. Chapter 38

Naruto returned back to their bedroom, feeling like a complete mess. He was sweaty, his shirt was sticking to his body, and his legs were screaming at him.

For some reason, Tsunade thought it’d be a good idea to let the soldiers in training have a little contest between them, and the winner of the tournament got a spar against him- unknowingly.

He loved the look on the kid’s face when Tsunade told him he had one more opponent, and it just got better as he raised his hand, stating “That would be me.”

And while he won the spar, he was still out of practice just using a sword. He had to compliment him though, if he wasn’t so tired from sparring against everyone else, he probably would have won.

But now, back in his bedroom, all he wanted to do was take a bath.

He stripped off his shirt, letting the cool air hit his chest. It felt refreshing. He let his shirt fall to the floor, thinking he would put it in the laundry shoot later, but someone would probably come by and pick it up before he remembered.

He walked slowly over to the attached bathroom, reaching for the door handle. If he wanted the water to be hot when he got in, he would need to start it now.

But then he heard something.

It was humming, coming from the other side of the door. It was relaxed and sweet, the melody while unfamiliar, made him feel welcomed.

That’s usually how Hinata’s voice made him feel. She was warm and inviting, and right now occupying the bath he so longed to use.

‘ _Well, I can interrupt her, or take a bath in the bath hall…’_ he thought, but he decided on the first, since he would have to put his shirt back on if he went to the bath hall.

He knocked on the door before opening it, knowing that she would jump he just opened it.

“Yes?” she responded, stopping her humming.

“It’s just me.” He answered, opening the door.

Her hair was up on top of her head, laying in the marble stone bath, filled with water and something that made bubbles. It smelled like… how Hinata did. She was submerged as much as she could be, her head tilted to the side, greeting him with a smile.

“Good afternoon.” She said.

“Afternoon” he repeated, walking over to her.

“Why is your shirt off?” she asked. She didn’t object to it, but it was still cold outside.

“Because I was going to take a bath, but it seems you beat me to it.” He told her, bending over at the knees to be eye level with her.

“Ah, I see. I bet that’s what I smell.” She joked, but there was truth in her words. He dropped his jaw slightly at her comment before laughing.

“Sorry about that.” He apologized, shaking his head.

Then he noticed that there was one part of her body that wasn’t under water, previously covered by the bubbles.

“You know we can’t hide this for much longer.” He told her, resting his hand on the few inches of her stomach that breached the water. It was cold compared to the water around it.

Hinata sighed.

“I didn’t even think we would make it this far.” She confessed. “Keeping it for so long.”

“Have you thought about how to tell everyone? We can just do it by rumor.” He suggested. She shook her head.

“No, I want to be up front with people, maybe just have something published in the paper for tomorrow?”

Naruto nodded his head.

“We can do that.”

Naruto kept his hand there for just a moment longer before getting up with a grunt.

“Well… I’ll let you finish up, and then I want to take a bath.” He told her, going for the door.

“But I just got in here, it’ll be a while.” She added.

Naruto sighed. “Yeah, I figured as much. That’s fine, I’ll just… wait.” He muttered. His rested his hand on the door knob, hesitating for just a moment.

“Or…” Hinata started. “You can join me?” she suggested. It was plenty wide, just wasn’t quite deep enough for her right now.

He waited for a few seconds before letting his hand slip off the door handle.

“Or I can do that.”

………………

The commotion of the capital was insane. People taking papers from others, snatching them out of each other’s hands, some even starting fights over them, wanting to read it.

The commotion was so loud in fact, that It woke Sakura up. Her apartment was along the bottom row, facing the street. It was late enough in the morning for her to accept that people were already awake, but not late enough that this many people would be up, especially on a Sunday.

She rolled out of bed, walking through the hallway and towards the front door, putting her head against the door. She couldn’t make out anything, but she knew that a huge amount of people were outside.

She slowly opened the door, adjusting her eyes to the sunlight and seeing a massive crowd of people across the street, completely blocking the road.

“The hell?” she mumbled, walking outside more in her pajamas. Across the street was a just a pub, surely nothing was going on there.

But the closer she looked, the crowd seemed to veer just to the right of that, towards the street corner.

“Oh… something must have been published in the paper.” She concluded, remembering that that was one of the locations where the paper was handed out daily.

She kept inside the complex of her apartments, underneath the upstairs walkway as she watched it all happen. She saw people yelling at each other, pushing and shoving through each other.

“Just what was published?” she asked, watching as a small kid wiggled his way through the line of people, paper in tow. He ran across the street towards her. She recognized him as one of the kids that lived upstairs.

She slowly walked in front of the staircase, blocking his path. It was a good thing that she cleared her throat as he ran closer to her, else he might not have turned his attention away from the crowd and bumped into her.

“Hey, move out the way!” He yelled, putting his paper behind him. “This one is my copy!” he defended.

“Relax kid, I just want to know what’s so important about it.” She groaned, remember how annoying this kid was.

“You mean you didn’t know?” he said with a smirk.

“I might, if you would just tell me.” She rolled her eyes.

The kid took the paper out from behind his back, holding the front page up to her.

“Here! You see it?!” he laughed at her.

She read the title, not thinking much of it.

“It’s just them announcing- Wait.” She stopped, grabbing the paper from his hands.

“Hey!” he yelled, trying to jump up to reach her.

“Give me a second, I’ll give it back.” She assured him as she read.

“First Royal Child in Fifteen Years.” She muttered, reading the article.

‘We are pleased to report this straight from the King and Queen themselves that they are expecting their first child! Many generations remember when Hinata herself was born and her sister after that, but for those too young to remember, surely you feel the same pride that we do! The King wishes for a Princess, while the Queen wants a young Prince! More details inside.’

Is what the front page read.

“HM.” Sakura laughed. “So, they finally told everyone.” She said, putting the paper down. The boy snatched it from her hands, running up the stairs.

She watched him run up the, with a smile on her face before turning back towards her own door.

“Well, this should be interesting.”

Across the country, the news spread. Every press printed the same article, at the same time. The commotion may have been the worse in the capital where the most people are, but plenty of other towns had the same reaction.

The small down in the east even had a large crowd that bought the paper.

“Thank you.” He said, handing the boy two coins in exchange for the paper. He didn’t read it, instead he tucked it inside his jacket.

The small town had only a few buildings, nothing entertaining about it, and no issues that needed addressees. It was just a small town that nothing ever happened in.

He started down the only road that led out of town, going until he could only see the top of the tallest building in that town, then took a sharp left. After a few feet, there was a drop off of about ten feet. He jumped it, landing on his feet with ease. Then he went further into the wooded area, some still covered in snow, other areas you could see the small patches of dead grass that was underneath it all.

They say there wasn’t going to be any more snow for the season.

There was a river, running down towards the town. They used it to water their crops, none of which were planted yet. He crossed over it, going another thirty paces before angling to the side, and there it was.

A cave.

A cave that didn’t exist until he decided so. He carved it out of the hill, making it to his liking. The entrance was only big enough for one person, but once a few feet in it expanded dramatically, housing books and pages that only he could see. Some books were Danzo’s that he had stolen, others were ones he had found himself on various topics. Weather, heat, sword making, anything on history, magic- the little that still existed, maps of anything and everything.

He took out the paper that he had smoothly put into his coat, unfolding it. He placed it on the table in front of him, reading the front page.

This was what he was wanting, what he was waiting for. Sasuke smirked as he turned the page, looking at more details.

“…not accepting visitors… due date not yet disclosed…” those were the only two points that were important on the other pages. The rest were just quotes from the conversation the reporter had with the, and speculations from the reporter herself.

He moved away from the paper on the small table to one of the shelves that lined the room, running his hand along the books and pages, looking for something.

He grabbed a page, unfolding it. He shook his head, casting it to the side. He grabbed another, looking at its contents. He took that page, and brought it over to the table. He laid it over the paper he had just bought.

It was a layout of the castle, a blueprint of it before it was constructed. The original copy he had was worn and old, whereas this one he traced out, as well as using his own memory of its design to make. Overall, he considered its accuracy to be around 85%, the biggest issue being he didn’t know the location of all the small hallways that the workers used, his original map was too faded for him to even read those.

But that didn’t matter now, he had a plan to develop, set in place for June.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha you know that thing I said about that one chapter being the last short chapter? I LIED. Originally there was something else at the beginning of this in my notes but then I read over it and thought “that doesn’t make sense now” since I changed something last chapter.  
> We just aren’t going to trust anything I say in these notes, because half the time I don’t even know what im talking about.  
> However one thing I can assure of is that the next chapter is going to get spoicy.


	39. Chapter 39

“Don’t forget, make sure these three stay around you at all times.”

“I know.”

“And once you cross the border you will be extremely nice to whoever is there to escort you the rest of the way.”

“Hinata, I know.”

“And you’ll make sure to write every day.”

“Now I can’t promise that, but as soon as I get there I’ll make sure to.”

Hanabi had a smile on her face, and Hinata couldn’t help but echo that same smile. Hanabi was on her own horse, packages and bags attached to it. The three guards had similar items attached to theirs, some Hanabi’s as well.

She was leaving today for her first trip by herself. It was bittersweet for the both of them. Hinata couldn’t help but see how much her sister had grown without her even knowing for so long. She looked refined, dignified even, atop her horse. Her own sheep skinned coat was wrapped loosely around her, the trip getting colder the further they went. Hanabi was sure that she could see the pained look in her sister’s eyes, but she knew that it was an emotion they both shared.

Hanabi debated not even leaving once the country knew about their child. The front gates were constantly swamped with people trying to visit with her, even just see her. It felt intimidation even for Hanabi with how much attention it gathered, and she didn’t want to leave her sister to deal with it herself.

“Well, that should be everything you need.” Naruto told her, strapping on the last of their equipment. The three guards that were in front of her looked back at him, nodding their heads that they were ready.

“You should be good to go.” He followed up.

If it weren’t for the relationship that she had with Naruto, the relationship he had with her sister, then she would have stayed. But she knew that he’d be here, he wouldn’t let anything happen to her. While she has never seen it, she’s heard stories of how strong he is, and how intimidating he can be. She only had rumors to go by, but her father trusted him, and so did she.

She wondered if her escorts knew anything about him.

“Well then…” she said with a deep breath. “I’ll be off.”

Neither of the three knew what to say as the escorts took their positions, one in front, one on her western most side, and one behind her. Hanabi looked at the sky and could see the sun slowly rising over the horizon, casting the sky in an orange hue. Already she felt warm in her coat, but kept it on for the ride ahead of her.

Hanabi turned her head towards the trail they were heading down, seeing just where the trees started, knowing that in a few hours those trees would be nowhere around her anymore. She smiled at the thought of a change of scenery. The trees were nice, but the country was covered in them.

“Be safe, okay?” Hinata sighed, putting a hand on Hanabi’s knee.

“You do the same.” She replied, adjusting herself on the top of her saddle, pausing for a moment.

“Love ya, Hinata.” She mumbled not looking at her.

Hinata smiled, knowing Hanabi wasn’t one to show affection.

“Love you too.”  She answered clearly.

Then they left without a word more. The ground was wet from all the melted snow, now that winter had passed, and the tracks they left behind dug deep into the ground. Hinata stared as they continued on until she couldn’t see them anymore.

She felt Naruto’s warm arm around her.

“I know she’ll be fine, don’t worry.” He assured.

“You can say that, but I still won’t stop worrying.” She admitted with a sigh, leaning into his body.

“It can’t stop me either, but it helps.” He agreed.

Hinata laughed.

“I thought you were confident?” she asked.

“Oh I have full faith in her, it’s just everything else I’m worried about.” He explained.

Hinata agreed, feeling that was the best reasoning for her own worry.

“We should get inside, breakfast will be ready soon.”  

………………..

With Hanabi gone, it felt even emptier in the castle than it was before. Even though so many people worked in the castle, cleaning, cooking, taking care of the grounds, organizing files, coordinating audiences, most were never seen to either of them. They usually just had each other, and if they were needed, Shikamaru and Tsunade made appearances. It may have just been one person, but a bit part of their day was her- and it was gone.

So, Sakura was around more often.

Hinata felt bad that Naruto couldn’t see her more, since he was still determined to make sure she didn’t work too much, but Hinata had to admit that she loved just talking with Sakura. It was a completely different relationship with her than what she had with Hanabi. Sakura was much more versed in what happens day to day in the city, telling her funny stories and her woes of this and that.

“I’m not kidding, she really told me to take her with me.” Sakura explained with a laugh.

“I can’t believe that people are reacting so… crazy to this.” Hinata stated.

“I think she followed me, that’s how she knows I come here on my days off. Maybe I should have reacted better when we had a conversation about it. Then she wouldn’t be suspicious and wouldn’t have started shifting through my mail.” Sakura shook her head at her neighbor’s antics.

“Sakura, you know the messing with mail is a crime th-“

“Nope, it’s only opening mail that’s not addressed for you that’s a crime. ‘There’s nothing wrong with just looking who it’s from.’“ Sakura mocked.

Hinata had to agree, that was right. She made a mental note to see if they could revise that. They never sent her mail, but it was still… a weird thing to do.

Sakura took a sip of her drink.

“You know what rumor I heard when I was patrolling yesterday?”

Hinata took a sip of her own.

“What was that?”

“That he didn’t even know until the day before the paper was published.” She rolled her eyes.

“You’re kidding, surely not.” She asked. How would she have gone that long and him not know?

“That’s just what I heard.” She jested, crossing her legs in the chair she was in.

Hinata reached for another letter that was sitting on the conference room table, shaking her head. She tried to open the letter, but the corner piece ripped off in a circle, not ripping the top like she wanted. She sighed, reaching for the letter opener she hated to use, slipping it under the letter’s seal.

“You know, I do feel bad for him.” Hinata told her, taking the contents out.

“Who? Naruto?” Sakura questioned, sitting up in her chair.

“I mean, he’s just getting busier but he won’t let me help him with anything. I feel like I’m capable of sitting through a meeting, you know?” Hinata explained, reading the inside of the letter. It was a congratulations.

“Well, I agree with him. You should be the most relaxed you can be, and I’m sure that talking to people all day, having to present yourself and talk fancy and make decisions… whatever else you do, that can be draining and stressful. You can’t really take a mid-afternoon nap if you’re supposed to be in meetings all day.” Sakura explained.

Hinata huffed.

“I just feel so… helpless, like I feel like I can do things but instead I’m just sitting around opening letters and signing things that need both our signatures.” She sighed, resting her head against her palm.

“Trust me, you’re doing plenty.” Sakura assured, watching her grab a paper from the stack in front of her, signing it.

There was a pause between the two, mainly so Hinata could read what she was signing.

“So…” Sakura started, stretching out her arms on the table. Hinata looked over at her, leaving her pen next to the place she stopped reading. “You all haven’t thought of any names yet, have you?”

Hinata shook her head, turning back to the page.

“We’ve said a few back and forth, but none we really like. We’re hoping one day that it’ll just… click, you know? Like when we say it we’ll have that moment of “This is it”, but we just haven’t had that yet.” She sighed, signing the document at the end.

“Doesn’t help that he’s just suggesting girl names either.” She muttered. 

Sakura laughed, knowing how much that’s been an issue between the two.

“He still is dead-set on a girl?” she asked, already knowing the answer.

 Hinata threw her arm to the side, exasperated.

“Yes!”

………………………………………………

He remembered this place.

The room was much longer than it was tall. Clouded windows lined the walls, being there only for natural lighting- not for a view. There were dividers that could be pulled to make the room into three smaller ones, but right now they were all pushed back. The floor was mostly concrete, with a raised wooden platform in the middle, up about a half foot. There were scarce decorations in the room, just two plants that guarded the exit. The ground always had a layer that felt like chalk over it, regardless how much you cleaned it, it would be back the next morning.

It was the main sparring arena on the training grounds.

While he had never really seen it from this angle, it was still as familiar as he remembered. He, Sasuke, and Sakura all fought each other here, in one combination or another. It was mainly Sasuke and him, with Sakura just rolling her eyes as the fights went longer and longer. It was where he met Sasuke again, rekindled their friendship for little time they had.

But right now he was sitting at a table next to Tsunade, watching the new trainees spar. This wasn’t his first time doing so, but with this one he didn’t have to fight whoever was the winner, he was watching. Watching for any sort of weakness. A habit that some had, the way they moved their leg could be trouble if they keep doing it, they keep looking at the ground- anything that could be a downfall later, he was looking for. Tsunade did this many times, but having another set of eyes never hurt.

They were sitting far enough away to where they could have their own private conversation, a small table in front of them for their papers they were writing on. Naruto, not having particularly good handwriting, just liked to tell Tsunade what he saw.

“M, if they keep that elbow out, that’s going to make them tire a lot faster with that arm.” He leaned over to whisper to Tsunade.

“Naruto, they’re wearing numbers so you can write them down easier. You don’t have to tell me.” she said for the third time to him.

He had been doing it for the past hour, but she never brought it up until recently. He sighed, scooting his chair up to the table, putting the pen in his hand and continuing to watch the fight.

He wrote down a few notes before Tsunade called the fight, letting the next pair go.

“How many times do you do this in a day?” Naruto asked her, almost mocking.

“Shut it.” she told him, flipping her page around to write on the back.

The next pair started, and it was almost painful to watch. One was great, Naruto could tell. But he was hesitant to really do anything because of who he was paired with. Form was bad, grip was bad, and confidence was absolutely nowhere.

He leaned forward.

“I know you don’t want me talking to you, but… is he?” Naruto asked, not sure what to end the sentence with.

“Is he going to graduate? Not at this rate.” Tsunade commented, shaking her head. “I’ve tried so many different things with him but nothing is working.” She sighed, writing down her notes on the fight.

“Hm…” Naruto crossed his arms, watching for a few more minutes. His partner easily knocked him to his feet, giving the boy plenty of opportunity to dodge.

“Mmhm, mmhm” Naruto sounded, getting up from the chair he was sitting in, the sound the chair made as it scooted back seemed to silence the whole room, stopping the match in the middle.

He walked calmly over to the two standing on the raised platform, taking the step to get on it with them.

Tsunade had no idea what he was doing.

He paused as he stood in the middle of the pair, staring at them both.

“You… 17, go take a break.” He told the boy who was clearly going to win the match. He nodded rather cautiously, jumping off the stage.

Naruto turned his whole body towards the other one, who looked like he was shaking. Naruto could tell it was out of frustration.

“You… 64, where’d you learn to fight?” he asked, lining himself up to the kid, standing side by side. Honestly the man was about as old as Naruto, but he couldn’t help thinking him as a kid with his weak demeanor. He was a little shorter, brown hair and black eyes, nothing really stood out about him.

“I… I didn’t. W-well I learned here.” He explained.

“A-huh, go ahead and do your first stance, like you did at the start of the fight.” Naruto told him, and he agreed to do so, taking his position. His arms were wide, his practice sword- wooden- was pointed downward, his feet were together.

Naruto mimicked the pose best he could, even taking the kids sword from him to add to it.

“You even seen whatcha look like when you’re fighting? Because you look like this.” He asked him, letting the kid turn to look at him.

He furrowed his eyebrows.

“No, that’s not what I look like, that’s not the starting stance.” He replied, looking confused.

Naruto laughed, giving the sword back.

“Well that’s what ya look like!” he joked, letting the kid take the sword. He turned back to Tsunade.

“How about we get a mirror and put it in here, let him practice with that.” He said, jumping down from the raised platform.

Tsunade agreed, figuring it was worth a shot.

Naruto sat back in his chair, smiling with his arms crossed.

“Next pair?” he asked Tsunade, and she nodded. “Next pair!”

The boy walked off the stage, looking confused. The next pair came on.

“Did he not know they were wrong?” Naruto asked quietly to Tsunade.

She shook her head. “I just thought he couldn’t memorize them.”

The next pair started, doing much better than the last two. Naruto thought he was going to enjoy this one, until someone tapped his shoulder. He felt them there before the touch, or else he would have jumped.

He turned his head back to meet Shikamaru.

“We need you, right now. No exceptions.” Shikamaru whispered to him, a stern look on his face.

“What? Why? What’s going on?” Naruto asked him, turning slightly in his chair. Tsunade perked her ears up towards the conversation, but didn’t say anything.

Shikamaru ducked down, whispering something directly in his ear. Tsunade turned her head towards them, watching as Naruto’s expression changed from annoyed to concern.

He got up rather quickly from his chair, turning around to leave.

“Sorry Tsunade, I have to go. Something’s come up.” He told her, handing her the paper he had written few sentences on.

“It’s not… her, is it?” she asked, concerned.

Naruto shook his head, giving a small chuckle.

“No, Hinata’s fine. Something else.” He explained, turning to follow Shikamaru.

“Oh, well alright then… I’ll just finish up here.” She trailed off, turning her head back to the crowd of trainees in the room. It was then that she realized the two had stopped fighting, and all the eyes in the room were towards her.

“W-What are you all doing?! No one told you to stop!” Tsunade yelled at them, watching as they scrambled back to how they were.

She heard the door shut as Shikamaru and Naruto left, wondering what was going on.

“So… what exactly is going on?” Naruto asked, jogging to keep up with Shikamaru. “Your explanation wasn’t very good.”

They turned the corner of the building, and there were already two horses there waiting for them.

“Apparently, he had contact with Sasuke. It was almost a year ago, but he saw him, had conversations with him, and just kept it hidden since then.” Shikamaru shook his head, mounting one of the horses.

“And why would he do that?” Naruto asked, following him.

Shikamaru shrugged.

“I don’t know why, he wouldn’t tell me. He wanted to speak with you, not me.” Shikamaru answered.

They went through the city, making their way west to the prison. They kept robbers, thieves, harassers, those who avoided paying taxes, most any crime the committer would go here. In cases of heavier crimes, murder, sexual assault, attempts of assassination, those went… somewhere else.

The prison itself wasn’t very lavish on the outside, but it was made of heavy stone. If it were would it would be easy to burn and escape. It was a large building with an upstairs and a downstairs, with dimly lit lamps lining the walls. The cells were individual, carved into the stone. The bars that blocked them in were heavy and black, thick around. There was no common area, and you ate what they served you. If you didn’t like it, you didn’t eat. You were allowed one visitor every two weeks, and were allowed to go in the back courtyard for an hour a day to get fresh air.

The rooms themselves were small, with a bed and pillow and blankets. There was a stand and you were allowed pen and paper to write on in your cell. Depending on what section of the prison you were in, you were even escorted to the bathroom.

Not very nice living conditions, which is why their sentences were so short. Get in, do your time, never want to come back.

“Why is he here? He hasn’t done anything wrong, just came to give information.” Naruto asked, hating being in the prison. Every time he had to come here he just got glares from those imprisoned. Sneers and jokes and stares that followed him everywhere. He didn’t blame them for staring- he was technically the reason they were in here, but he personally didn’t do anything to them.

“He came into town, and came straight here. He said that he deserved to be here, and demanded they give him a cell. It’s almost like he’s crazy… I just don’t remember him ever being like that… at all.” Shikamaru sighed, turning a corner of more jail cells.

“They didn’t give him a cell, but they gave him an interrogation room.” Shikamaru told him, stopping at the end of the hall. The room had two workers standing outside of it, guarding the door. They bowed to the two of them. Naruto and Shikamaru bowed back.

“He hasn’t said anything more?” Shikamaru asked them, both shaking their heads.

“No it’s just… sounds like he’s crying.” One spoke.

“Keeps whimpering, not saying much of anything.” The other answered.

Naruto sighed, having a bad feeling about this already. He turned to Shikamaru.

“Well, let’s get this over with.” He said, reaching for the door.

The guard cut in front of him, opening it instead. Naruto paused for a moment, but went in once the guard had opened the door completely.

Naruto entered, then Shikamaru, then the two guards. At least they tried to.

“You two wait out here, we’ll be fine.” Naruto told them, not leaving it up for debate.

“But we-“ They tried to debate, but he took the door from them with a smile, closing it.

Naruto turned towards the middle of the room, nothing lighting it but a small window in the corner. Shikamaru already took a seat at the small table in the room, looking back at Naruto to join him in the other.

On the other side of the table was their man, who they were here to see. Naruto approached him slowly, as his head was down, shoved into his folded arms on the table. Naruto sat down, waiting for some response.

Shikamaru huffed, crossing his arms.

“Alright, I brought him here, just like you asked.” Shikamaru stated.

The man across the table raised his head slowly, meeting his eyes with Naruto’s- blue on blue.  Naruto looked closely at his face, it looked loose, irritated, and around his eyes was completely red, like he had been crying. The guards were right on that one.

“Y-you… may not remember me- but-“ he started, but Naruto cut him off.

“I remember you just fine. We met you back in that town last year. You’re Shikamaru’s father’s friend, Inoichi, is that right?” Naruto asked, already not liking where this was going.

The man started to cry again.

“Yes, t-that’s right…” he mumbled.

“And what are you doing here, in a prison? You’re not getting arrested for giving us information on Sasuke, you know?” he explained, wanting to get to the root of this issue.

But Inoichi just shook his head, leveling it with the table.

“I-I’m so sorry…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ho boy, getting REAL now. I’m excited to type out the next chapter, so it should be a good time.   
> And of course, keep favorite-ing, following, reviewing, and all that!


	40. Chapter 40

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Add one cup of flour to the plot in order to thicken it*

If felt colder in the small room than outside it. Maybe it was purely the temperature, or maybe it was the situation they were in. Shikamaru and Naruto looked at the man in front of them, confused at his last statement.

“…What do you mean by ‘I’m so sorry’? What did you do?” Naruto asked, getting impatient with Inoichi. He was hiding something, and Naruto didn’t know what he wanted that do be.

“You have to believe me, I-I did it for my daughter, but I just… couldn’t live with it anymore.” He started, not raising his head to meet their faces. He was too ashamed.

“What do you mean your daughter? Did something happen with Ino?” Shikamaru asked him. His daughter was a personal friend of his, and he hadn’t heard anything from her. Last he knew she was dating some new guy that just moved to town, nothing out of the ordinary for her.

“He… he had her. E-every day I have that image in my mind of her laying there, like I found her. Her arms and legs were bound together, her mouth taped shut so she wouldn’t scream…. It was like a father’s worst nightmare, but i-it was real!” he kept on.

“Slow down, just what happened Inoichi, when was all this?” Naruto asked him, leaning closer towards him, Shikamaru doing the same thing.

Inoichi paused, still keeping his face down.

“It was when you were there, in town. When we first met.” He said between gritted teeth. He was upset, and Naruto figured it was at himself.

“What happened?” Shikamaru asked again slowly. Inoichi kept shaking his head.

“She went missing, that’s what happened.” His fist clenched. “I searched that entire house for her, but never even found a trace, it was like she never existed.” He coughed.

“So… Sasuke took her, is that what you’re saying?” Naruto asked, making it easier for him to just say yes or no.

He nodded.

This time Naruto’s fist clenched around the arm of the chair.

“We’ll make sure he pays for everything he’s don-“

“No no that’s not it….” Inoichi interrupted, letting Naruto calm back down. He picked up where the story left off. “I went to open the door, to search in town or with the horse, but there he was instead.”

He leaned his head upwards at the ceiling, like he was staring at someone.

“He was a huge… dark figure. His hair covering most of his face, his body felt like it was pressing against you with pressure from how intimidating he was… truly a terrifying man.” Inoichi described. Naruto watched as Shikamaru started taking notes.

“I asked who he was and what he wanted… and all he said was, ‘I have your daughter, and you’re going to help me if you want her back.’” Inoichi looked down in defeat. “That bastard… but what choice did I have?” he clenched his eyes tight, the memories vivid.

“You… you helped him?” Naruto asked, dumbfounded. Surely he knew that assisting a criminal is a crime that…. Is probably why he wanted to be kept here.

“What choice did I have?!” he repeated, sounding desperate. “He had my only child, wouldn’t you have?!” he yelled out at them, not sounding rhetorical.

Naruto thought for a moment about the scenario and even without their child being born he absolutely would have done it. If someone had their child, he and Hinata both would do anything- which he was sure of.

“Continue.” Naruto told him, not answering the question.

“A-at first he had a simple request, nothing major at all. I didn’t know what he was planning with the information, but I couldn’t think of any harmful reason… so I did It.” he sighed, looking down at the ground again.

“And what was that?” Shikamaru asked him, still in disbelief that this was Inoichi, the man that stood next to his father through everything, Ino’s father. He was confessing about working with public enemy number one.

“I found out Queen Hinata’s favorite flower.”

Naruto’s eyes widened at the realization, remembering the conversation so clearly from almost a year ago.

_“Sunflowers, do you like them?”_

_“Oh yes, they’re my favorite.”_

_“I see, I’ll be sure to remember for the next time you visit.”_

Naruto got up from the table, walking closer to Inoichi. Everything made sense now. Every event after that point just seemed to come together in a perfect harmony.

“So you… were the one that gave us those sunflowers, right? On our way out of town?” Naruto asked him, stopping next to his chair. He stood straight, looking forward at the door.

“I-I told him what she had said and he gave me something… a pill. Told me to take It.” he continued on explaining. “He said that it would make me immune to the effects of what he was going to do to the flowers.”

“Inoichi, did he tell you what they were going to do?” Naruto asked, his teeth not wanting to move apart. “Those flowers?”

“He wouldn’t tell me… that I would have to live with it. If he told me, I could tell anyone. I-I didn’t know anything. They could have been anything from poisoned to just itching flowers for all I knew…”

Naruto chuckled, leaning down next to him.

“They were sprayed with something that makes you fall asleep… for hours and hours. Our driver was sure affected by them. He completely passed out while driving us back.”  Naruto explained to him, trying to be eye level, but Inoichi wouldn’t look at him.

Thinking about it knowing why the driver passed out completely, he knew why he and Hinata weren’t affected. He even remember Hinata getting sleepy on the way back. If it wasn’t for Kurama, who knows what could have happened. They’d both be killed because they wouldn’t be able to defend themselves? Or was Sasuke just going to let them sleep in the middle of the road for a good eight hours. If the flowers were never removed, how long would they have been affected? Even if Sasuke didn’t do anything, surely someone else could have come along and whether they were friend or foe was completely left to chance.

They’d be completely vulnerable to anything- all because of a gift they thought was in good faith.

“I-I’m sorry, that’s why I came back to-Ah!” Inoichi yelled as Naruto banged his fist on the wooden table in rage.

“You know what could have happened to _us?!_ Those flowers were in with us, and if we had been affected by them?! Do you know?!” Naruto yelled at him, getting closer to him.

“Naruto! Control-“

“Stay out of this Shikamaru!” Naruto told him, not breaking contact with Inoichi. His shoulders were raised in fear, but he knew that he had done it to himself- Naruto had every right to be mad with him.

“Look at me, Inoichi.” Naruto stated, his eyebrows furrowed. Inoichi, hesitantly, turned his face to match his, and saw a look that he still can’t describe to this day.

It was absolute anger, betrayal, and worry all in one glare. The blue of his eyes were fierce, frightening.

“We’d be sitting ducks. Right now- I know that Sasuke was following us that day. When I got out of that carriage to check on the driver that’s what I immediately felt. A pair of eyes just staring at me, watching me. I don’t get those feelings for just any reason. You realized what you could have done?!” Naruto asked of him, putting his hands on the collar of Inoichi’s shirt. He looked terrified.

“Who cares about my live but that is the Queen of your country you could have killed! Her mother, her father, and then she all murdered… because of you.” He bit out, having the urge to punch something.

“He had my daughter! What was I supposed to do?! Let her die? I know what I did was wrong, believe me, but I couldn’t just let my child die!” he protested, trying to calm him down. Naruto was still glaring.

“E-even if you hate me, and and Ino hates me, I still wouldn’t have let her just die! What kind of father would I be?” he confessed, starting to cry again. That line caught his attention. Naruto let his hands drop, but stayed eye level with him.

“What do you mean?” he asked, a sharpness in his voice.

“Ino would have rather died than me risk the life of Queen Hinata... but she’s just too precious to me, I-I love her too much to lose her.” he explained, wiping his face on his sleeve. “Every day I see the scars on her wrists and legs from the ropes that bound her all too tightly, yet she won’t even speak to me. She thinks of me as a traitor who put himself before his country…. I just was so guilt ridden that… I came here.”

He was back to looking at the ground, letting his tears fall down, and his body hiccupping with his breaths.

“…”

Neither Shikamaru nor Naruto said anything. Naruto just walked away from him. He didn’t stop at his chair, much to Shikamaru’s surprise. He went towards the door.

“H-hey!” Shikamaru reacted, getting out of his own chair to follow him. He barely slipped out the door before Naruto closed it. He turned to the two guards outside the door.

“Let him go when he can pull himself together. He’s done nothing wrong.” Naruto told them coldly, walking away without letting them say a word. Shikamaru tagging along after him.  Shikamaru decided to wait until they left the building before he tried to talk to him.

“You want to explain to me what the hell happened there? You can’t just lose your temper like that you know?!” Shikamaru yelled at him as they left the prison.

But Naruto didn’t say anything, just kept walked towards his horse.

“Hello, you going to answer me?” Shikamaru nagged, not giving up.

Naruto turned around suddenly, causing Shikamaru to almost run into him.

“Do you not get it?! That was the day that I decided to spend my life with her, it was in the ride back to the city! I loved her, and to have something as harmless as a bouquet of flowers be able to take that all away… it’s terrifying! Not only that, but this man knowingly did it!” Naruto yelled, pacing outside the large entrance to the building. “I get that nothing bad came of it, but I can’t help but imagine the worst.”

“So that gives you the right to intimidate him?! To grit your teeth in his face?  He could have lost the one person he loves the most in the world, his daughter! From an outside perspective it seems the obvious choice is to not help a criminal try to murder the ruler of your country but dammit you aren’t in that situation! Would you risk your child’s life, or Hinata’s huh? If you had to kill one of them, which would you choose?!” Shikamaru yelled at him, giving him the same scenario that Inoichi had.

Naruto wanted to punch him, he wanted to punch anything.

“You don’t get to ask me those question’s Shikamaru. That’s a different scenario entirely, considering they’re both my family! How dare you even ask me to choose one! It’s not like I don’t know Hinata like he did! I don’t get that luxury when it comes to a decision like that.” Naruto yelled back, getting in Shikamaru’s face.

“Yeah, I am making you choose! Because damn it I know exactly which one you would choose and I want you to realize that before you go and start grabbing people by the neck!”

“Shikamaru I know which one I would choose, okay?! I would do everything in my power to save the life of my child and you know that! Even…” he paused, lowering his voice. “Even if that means that I can’t save Hinata.” He muttered, feeling sick at just the words.

“Then damn it you need to go apologize to him!” Shikamaru stated, having no time to deal with his behavior right now. “You don’t think I’m upset?! That I didn’t notice anything wrong with Ino? My best friend since we were children?! I noticed her wearing long sleeves, in the summer. Her sudden disappearance didn’t go under me either, but I didn’t think twice when Inoichi said she was traveling for a while. You think I don’t feel angry at him not telling me the truth?!” he asked Naruto, not giving him time to answer. “You bet your ass I am, but I stayed calm!”

“Shikamaru I already gave him the biggest pardon in the history of our country! If that’s not an apology enough then I don’t know what is.” He stated.

“How about “I’m Sorry’?” Shikamaru remarked, using his hands to emphasize the phrase.

Naruto glared at Shikamaru, but he couldn’t hold it for long. He broke with a sigh, staring back at the prison doors.

“Fine, okay I get it. I acted on my emotions, that’s who I am.” He groaned, not wanting to go back in. “I’ll apologize.” He mumbled, walking past him.

“Good, he might have more information for us still that _someone_ just decided to leave.” Shikamaru told him. Naruto ignored his comment as they walked back over to where Inoichi was being held. The same prisoners were locked up, still glaring at him as they walked by, but this time he didn’t care.

The rounded the corner, seeing the two guards weren’t there anymore, but the door was open.  Surely they hadn’t moved him, they would have seen it.

Naruto and Shikamaru stood in the doorway of the room, looking on as the guards tried to convince Inoichi he was free to go. He was sitting in the chair still, telling the guards there was no way he was just off the hook and could go free.

Naruto coughed.

Both guards stopped what they were doing, staring over at him.

“S-sir!” they both said, bowing to him.

“We need you to leave, guys. Forgot a few things.” Shikamaru told them as they walked back in the room. The two men respected their wishes, leaving the room rather clumsily.

Shikamaru took his same seat back, and Naruto went back over to Inoichi’s side, bending down with a sigh.

“I shouldn’t have been so… forceful. I was just mad at Sasuke, not you.” Naruto admitted. He looked over at Shikamaru, and he nodded, approving of the apology.

“You have every right to be mad, what I did was unforgivable.” He replied. Naruto shook his head.

“What he put you through was unforgivable.” Naruto told him before walking back to his seat. “But I need you to tell us everything else you can think of.” Naruto reminded.

Inoichi nodded, clearing off his face.

“A-after I gave you all the flowers, I went back into the house, and he was waiting for me. He was acting like nothing happened, everything was fine, and there was nothing wrong between us… it made me sick.” He paused. “he gave me a map to where Ino was, giving me the honor of finding my daughter unconscious, tied up, mouth covered, in some sort of cave-like grove… dirt and grass stains all over her.” he explained.

“Do you still have this map at all, or remember the location of where she was held?” Shikamaru asked him.

“Of course I do, I never leave it anywhere… it’s almost like a reminder.” He told then, digging in his vest pocket.

He pulled out a small paper, worn heavily at the folds. It was a clear cut-out of a larger map, with two locations marked on them.

“The ‘x’ was where she was.” he told them as they looked it over. Naruto handed the page to Shikamaru.

“Make a copy of this, I want people sent to that location.” Naruto told him. Shikamaru agreed.

“Wait, do I not… get that back?” he asked, holding his hand out, wanting it back.

“You are more than welcome to have it once we make a copy, I’ll be sure of it.” Naruto assured him.

Inoichi withdrew his hand cautiously. He kept the paper to remind him of what could have happened, remind him of what he’d done. It was the boulder that he had push, his burden to carry. Being without it felt freeing, but it wasn’t a welcome feeling.

“After that… he left. I never saw from him again, never heard from him- he just vanished.” Inoichi explained.

Naruto nodded, knowing that there wasn’t much more to ask, except…

“How did he get your daughter?” Naruto asked him, wanting to cover everything.

“… I wasn’t home, I was out celebrating with his father” he gestured to Shikamaru. “And a few other guys about or settlement becoming an actual town. I got drunk… came home late. I thought she was already asleep in her room, so I just went to bed. Woke up the next morning and she wasn’t there.” He answered. His face just was completely guilty.

“Does Ino ever talk about her side of things, what happened with her?” Shikamaru asked. Naruto was curious as well, but Inoichi just shook his head.

“She… doesn’t talk to me about anything like that anymore. She spends most of her days away from home, away from me.” he admitted.

“She can’t hate you that much.” Shikamaru commented, knowing his friend.

“It’s been a lot better recently, don’t get me wrong. But I don’t want to scare her off again by talking about it.” he replied.

“Make sure that we get her side of things as well when we send someone out there, Shikamaru.”

Shikamaru nodded, thinking he might just go himself.

“And as for you,” Naruto turned his head back to Inoichi. “I would’ve done the same thing in your situation. You’ve done nothing wrong.” Naruto told him directly.

Inoichi looked at him wide-eyed, not believing that nothing was going to happen to him.

They both stood up, Shikamaru and Naruto, thanking Inoichi for giving them this information. Shikamaru tucked away the map piece in with his folder, letting Naruto leave the room first.

“Go home to your daughter, Inoichi.” Shikamaru told him. “And don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone about this.” He joked to lighten the mood, but Inoichi still sat there, in disbelief.

………………..

They had made their way back from the prison, asking for Tsunade to meet them in a conference room upstairs whenever she could- the same one that Hinata should be in. They were all gathered around, even Sakura was there. Naruto thought that as someone close to them, she needed to know what was going on as well.

“I need a team sent out to search that area, and make sure that are _extremely careful_ because I don’t want a repeat of last time. Throw rocks in the entrance, make sure there’s not a trip wire. Kill a rabbit and throw it that way, in case it reacts to heat. We don’t know what sort of things he could have rigged up.” Naruto explained to Tsunade, and she took note of who would be good for the job. They briefed her on everything they were told, and what they needed done. Then Naruto turned to Shikamaru, making sure to get his attention.

“I’ve wanted to do something like this for a while, and I want it built by then end of the month.” Naruto told him, but Shikamaru was lost as to what he meant.

“I want a-a shelter built here, something to protect us outside of the castle, but still close by. Like… on the grounds still.” He explained.

“You mean… in case of an attack?” he asked. “We already have safe rooms in the castle, I don’t think we need to make another one.

“Shikamaru it doesn’t have to be fancy or elaborate- just underground and secure.” He told him, standing firm on it.

“And what kind of attack are you thinking about? What would render the safe rooms in the castle obsolete?” Shikamaru asked him, wanting an answer.

“Obse?- All I’m worried about is that we don’t know what we’re up against, and I want to be prepared. By the end of the month I want it done.” He explained, not wavering.

Shikamaru sighed, understanding his point.

“End of the month will be tough, but we can do it.” Shikamaru agreed, already putting together how they were going to build it.

Then lastly he turned to Hinata, knowing she felt shocked by all the information at once. It was just a normal day for her, nothing more than responding to letters and signing papers, but to know that they were both so close to… who knows what… it made her scared.

There were few instances in her life when she had been truly scared. The night she met Naruto was one, when she found out her mother died, when she saw her father be stabbed right next to her… those were the only things she could recall. The rest were just nerves, but she knew that it would all work out in the end.

With this, she had no idea. She was going into this situation blind.

Naruto walked over to her, seeing that she was biting at her thumb. He took the side of her arms, getting her attention on him.

“Hinata, I don’t even want you… walking across the courtyard without someone else with you.” He told her, squeezing her arms tighter as she looked at him. “I know it’s over-bearing and protective… but that’s what we have to be.” He admitted, hating how it sounded. It’s not that he didn’t trust her to be safe, it’s that he didn’t trust others.

Hinata shook her head. “No, I agree with you completely.”

It was a relief for him to hear her say that. He knew that she hated relying on others for anything, but they both knew this wasn’t about her.

Then finally he turns to Sakura. She’s surprised at his look, wondering what he could be wanting from her. She had no title, no power to do anything, no one that she commands, what could she do?

He walked over to her, saying, “Sakura, I have the biggest favor in the world to ask you.” He leans against the side of the table, crossing his arms next to her.

She stared at him blankly.

“Yeah sure… I guess.” She honestly replied. Hard to say you’ll do something without knowing what it is.

“I need you to go around town, listening to anything you can. Any mentions of something suspicious, any strange behavior from someone, any…. Anything out of the ordinary. Keep an eye out for it, and if you see anything, tell me.” he explained.

While he could send soldiers to go and steak out common places, he didn’t want to share this information with them. The less people know the better right now. He could trust Sakura, that he knew.

She nodded her head confidently.

“Yeah, I can do that.”

He smiled at her gratefully.

“Thank you, Sakura.”

He then turned to the group as a whole, addressing them all.

“Anyone else have anything?”

The room was silent. Shikamaru shook his head, Tsunade was confirming her group to send out in her head, Sakura sighed quietly, and Hinata was staring at the table in front of her.

Naruto gave them a few more seconds before saying anything else.

“Well… that’s all I have.” He told them, and one by one they left the room. Shikamaru went first, knowing he had to get to work on the shelter as soon as he could if he wanted to meet Naruto’s deadline. Tsunade went after him after running a few names by Hinata and Naruto, them agreeing that it sounded like a good team.

Sakura hadn’t planned on leaving, not for a while. She didn’t like seeing Hinata so disturbed, it felt out of place for her. But Naruto gave her a look as her bent over next to Hinata from across the table, and she got the hint. He wanted to be alone with her.

“…Hinata, what are you thinking about?” he asked her, pulling a chair up next to her.

“i-I don’t really know.” She answered, shaking her head. “I just feel sick in the… scared kind of way.”

He could lie and say there was nothing to be scared of, but what would that do? He was scared too. If something from so long ago had Sasuke behind it, who’s to say what was safe at any other point, what still is? It’s a terrifying feeling just being so helpless you don’t know what’s safe and what isn’t.

They had no clue what to trust.

“I know what you mean.” He sighed, deciding it was best to share the feeling.

Hinata shook her head, welcoming the warm embrace of Naruto’s arm around her.

“Why can’t we just be normal people?” she breathed out, leaning into him.

Naruto kissed her head, hovering thereafter, and no answer he had seemed good enough to speak. It was a question he thought about a lot more recently than he ever did, but he never came up with an answer himself aside from ‘we just can’t be.’

He held her tighter, gearing what would happen if he let her go.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mmhm mmhm, this was really fun to write. Angry Naruto is probably the most fun to write because he just gets so… unstable. He says what’s on his mind so you don’t have to hold back.   
> A+  
> Make sure to favorite, follow, and review!!


	41. Chapter 41

The tree limb bent slightly under his weight as he stood there, waiting. It was plenty into the night already, making it easier for him to blend in. the trees surrounded the castle grounds gate on two of its four sides. He wanted to get closer, but he couldn’t risk it right now, there were too many guards out, and he didn’t bring anything with him but a knife for defense, not anticipating encountering anything or anyone.

Sasuke had been in the city for roughly a week now, laying low and keeping quiet. No one noticed him, talked to him, or said ‘sorry’ if they bumped him in the street. Completely invisible to all. He masked himself to the public, looking like the most common person he could think of. Brown hair, black eyes, basic clothing, and no outstanding features. Just another person that they would have to pass.

He couldn’t keep up that disguise very long, it drained him too much to do it, so he only went out when he had to, a few hours at a time. He sat in taverns, in pubs, the front of Inns, open parks- anywhere there would be people. He was trying to gather as much information as he could- finishing up his master plan. He just needed a few key details and that would be it, but no one seemed to know them.

He thought about ambushing a castle worker, but when he arrived to the city it was overwhelmed with soldiers in the streets, at entrances and exits of the city, and around the castle. Nothing like what it was when he lived here.  Something must have triggered it.

Then he thought of what trail he hadn’t swept clean, what had he not hidden well enough. He thought about the two men he had killed, but that was months ago, surely they didn’t start upping security just now from that. He would have heard about it. He didn’t leave anything behind in his trails anywhere that he could think of.

Except one, of course.

He had kept his mouth shut for almost a year, and then he decides to blow it. That was the only logical thing he could think of that happened, all his other ends were tied. The only issue was that there had been no word, no news that he was killed for his actions against them, something that was sure to spread like fire- but not a word.

Then he remembered who would have decided his fate- Naruto. He wasn’t one for killing anyone if he could help it, and Sasuke was sure he did. If the secret either came out, or Inoichi confessed himself he would have been in the city, and Naruto would have taken pity on him.  He was sure of it.

A new guard rounded the corner that Sasuke was watching. He ducked down further, making himself as small as possible to them. He knew that he wasn’t going to be seen unless he did something obvious, he was too far away. He was a good hundred yards away from them. It was night, he was in the trees, and there were no lights around him.

They started talking.

Sasuke closed his eyes, listening into their conversation. While he didn’t care much for Danzo, he had to admit that this particular gift he was bestowed with was one of the handiest tools he had at his disposal.

“Nothing to report, eh? Sounds normal.” One guard said, taking the position of the other one.

“Yeah, nothing at all.” The other responded- a woman. She put her hand on the man’s shoulder. “So have fun staring out here for four hours.” She laughed as she walked away.

‘ _Very entertaining…’_ Sasuke rolled his eyes as she turned the corner, disappointed in the lack of information the conversation had.

 He decided to move, knowing that nothing would be happening on this side of the castle for a while.

He stayed in the trees, looking for open windows, groups of people, any sort of action. He didn’t want to make his presence known, he just wanted information. He kept around the perimeter of the castle, staying the fresh, new leaves of the trees. If it was winter this might not have gone so well.

He rounded the corner of the castle, and spotted what he wanted to see, an open window. It was quite a few open windows, five total. They were in a row, and stretched at least seven feet up and four feet wide.

There just happened to be an area of much more dense forest that look towards that row of windows, surely there for viewing from them.

He could see figures walking by the, every so often, but was too far away to make any out as individuals, so he just used his ears. There was no point in using his eyes if he couldn’t see.

No one talked aside from a small “Hello” as they passed each other, nothing more. Every few minutes he could hear feet pass by as well, but still no conversation.

 _‘These must be workers.’_ Sasuke concluded. He didn’t bother moving, knowing he wasn’t going to find a better spot. There were trees lining this side of the castle gate, and the side he was just on. After that it was the training grounds that took a major portion of the grounds. He couldn’t hear into the castle from there, it was just too far for him. Those were on his right. On the other side of the castle was the gardens, and they we’re the same, they stretched too far for him to be able to be well hidden, and still hear. Besides, it wasn’t late enough that they would be sleeping, surely they must still be up.

Then he heard it. It wasn’t Naruto, or Hinata, or even a worker. The voice was familiar and very distinct to him. Someone who he wasn’t expecting to hear from… well he didn’t know when. Her voice brought back memories that Sasuke forgot he had. She hadn’t said anything really, she had just laughed, and that was enough for him to distinguish who she was.

It was Sakura.

Maybe she was working, that made sense. She was a member of the military so it seemed fitting that she would be in the castle, but why was she laughing? He could pick up another pair of footsteps, so she was with someone. Maybe another guard?

“What’s so funny?”

That was a voice he was hoping to hear tonight- Hinata’s. It was soft and inviting, but always seemed to be holding something back.

Sasuke looked up at the window to see if he could figure out anything just from looking at their silhouettes, but they were too small for him to tell them apart. They seemed to be walking side by side which just made things worse.

“I’m just remembering what you told me happened here.” Sakura told Hinata with a smirk.

“W-we do have to bring that up again…” she replied sheepishly.

‘ _What are they talking about?’_ Sasuke thought, listening in on their conversation still.

“What do you mean, it’s cute!” Sakura replied, nudging Hinata.

“Maybe to you, but now just thinking about it, it was so embarrassing.” Hinata answered, looking towards the window sill.

Sasuke saw someone’s head turn, not knowing whose it was. Even though they were ten of hundreds of feet away from each other, it’s almost like that person was staring right at him, and he was staring back.

He saw another silhouette come from the other side of the windows, and Sasuke darted his attention to it. They we’re alone, and they were walking much faster than Sakura and Hinata seemed to. They were holding something across their body- or they were just shaped rather interestingly.

Sasuke listened as their interaction unfolded.

“Ah, my Queen Hinata, look at you!” the newcomer said. She was still a good ten feet away from Hinata, so it was like she was yelling.

“Oh, good evening.” Hinata replied, not knowing the person’s name. “I see you’re rather busy.” She commented on the basket in front of her.

“Ah, well the sheets aren’t going to watch themselves!” she replied, laughter in her voice.

“Of course, thank you for doing that.” Hinata bowed with her head.

“Tis no trouble at all! Anything to make it easier for you, I mean, look how big you’ve gotten! I don’t want you to worry about whether the sheets are cleaned or not!” she commented.

“Ah… yes.” Hinata commented, bringing her hand to the top of her protruding stomach. “Just until June, then I’ll be back to normal.”

“I remember when I had my first child… grew by thirty pounds and I never lost it!” she joked, and Sasuke could hear Sakura bit back her laugh in the back of her throat.

Then the woman sighed. “Well, I must get back to work. Good evening.” She said with a bow before starting down the hallway again.

It wasn’t until she was out of range before Hinata and Sakura started talking again.

“Why do people think that’s a compliment? “Look at how big you are!’” Sakura mocked, knowing what Hinata was thinking.

“I-I’m sure she had good intentions… but I’m not that big… right?” Hinata asked her, a worried look on her face.

“Not thirty pounds big.” She joked, making Hinata cover her mouth to laugh.

“Sakura, that’s not funny!” Hinata lied, knowing she shouldn’t be laughing at the joke. Sakura just rolled her eyes, grabbing Hinata’s hand.

“Come on, you know Naruto is waiting for us.” Sakura reminded, turning back down the hallway.

“Yes, yes I know.” Hinata replied, walking behind her friend.

They didn’t say another word, at least none that Sasuke could hear. Once he lost visual sight of them, he couldn’t pin-point where to listen to know.

But he had heard enough in that conversation, much more than he thought he would get.

He slowly back-tracked to the front side of the castle, keeping hidden by the trees. He wanted to wait there. He knew he couldn’t be caught here in the morning, but that wasn’t for a while.

He thought back on the conversation, picking apart any details that he could have overseen.

First, that spot in the castle, those windows- Hinata likes them. He had no plan on what to do with that information but he kept it with him just in case. Surely it wasn’t something major if she was embarrassed by it.

Second, not only is she pregnant, she’s heavily pregnant- a fact that the article never touched on. He was sure that most of the public didn’t even know when the child was due- information he was needing. But surely she wouldn’t be moving around or leaving the castle anytime, so he didn’t have to worry about where she is and what she’s doing.

Third, if the worker didn’t even want her to worry about bedsheet, surely Naruto didn’t want her worrying about anything bigger than that. He must be taking on most- if not all- of the responsibilities they have. He isn’t going to be around her as much, making nights like these both a blessing and a curse.  Hinata wouldn’t have her ‘body guard’ with her all the time, but she also would only share a select few things with him, Sasuke was sure.

Fourth, the baby was due in June. That was a crucial piece he was missing that finally got filled in.

And the most useful piece of Information he had was her, Sakura.

Hinata trusts Sakura, tells her secrets. They must be together often for Hinata to trust her so much, there could be so much more that Sakura knows. It was easy to get to Sakura, not so much the other two.

In fact, that’s who he was waiting on.

She had to leave the castle eventually, right? He didn’t know if she still lived in the same place, or what her daily routine was like. Where she went, what she does, who she talks to; all of which he was blank on. He wanted any information he could get out of Sakura, it was just getting to that point that he needed to do.

So he sat, and he waited.

……………………………..

It was morning. The sun was up in the sky with no traces of clouds anywhere, just the sun looming above, alone. The wind wasn’t blowing for any cool air, everything was just stiff.

Naruto hated days like today.

He hated how wrong they felt, how the world didn’t want to put forth the effort to make a better day, where there was a breeze, and clouds for shade, or anything. It was a minimum effort day by the earth, so he wanted it to be a minimum effort day for him as well.

But he was outside still, under the sun. Shikamaru walking with him.

“They found the hideout that Inoichi was talking about. It was just like what he described, and nothing left inside it except for boards of wood and some rope.”

Naruto sighed. Just a dead end.

“What about his daughter, any information from her?”

“Well, she surely took a lot of convincing to talk about it, but even after that she didn’t give us much.” He admitted.

“Nothing at all?” Naruto asked, wiping his forehead.

Shikamaru sighed.

“She was home alone, knowing her Dad was out. She heard someone knock at the door and she looked down from her bedroom window to see who it was. It was someone she didn’t know, but assumed he needed directions.” Shikamaru started.

“Directions?’

“They’re house is on the outskirts of the town, you’d be surprised how often it happens.” Shikamaru elaborated.

“Anyway, she opens the door and asks what he wants… and the next thing she knows she’s on the ground in some cave all tied up. She starts screaming and struggling, but with her mouth taped and hands tied, there wasn’t anything she could do. He came by every so often to offer her food, saying if she screamed she wouldn’t get anymore for as long as he had her. Naturally she did, so she went without food for two days” Shikamaru continued.

“Then he told her his plan and she accepted that it was the end, thinking her father would never betray his country… and then he did.”

“And that’s the end of it?” Naruto asked him as they arrived at their destination.

“That’s it.” Shikamaru agreed.

Naruto sighed, leaning his head back. If anything that just added more mystery than anything else. She just… doesn’t remember how he kidnapped her? Did he knock her out? Or do something else that no one else knew was possible? It was making his head hurt.

“But good news is, we even completed it before your deadline.” Shikamaru changed the subject, gesturing to the object in front of them.

It looked like a cellar door, behind the greenhouse on the grounds. It wasn’t obvious what it really was, since most gardens have ground storage for tools and mulch- and that’s exactly what it looked like, and if you went down there you would find just that- tools and mulch.

Unless you we’re looking for something else.

One of the walls had a lock on it. To open it, it was a six digit string of numbers that was only known to four people. Naruto, Hinata, Tsunade, and Shikamaru were the only ones that knew.

Both of them went down the ladder that lead down, seeing the two lamps that were never to leave stationed nicely in the corner.

Shikamaru walked Naruto over to the keypad, gesturing him to put in the code.

The code had to be something that no one could guess- no birthdays or important dates or anything. It was completely random with no thought given to it.

Naruto put it in and sure enough it unlocked. The lock clicked open and you could swing the concrete slab open, leading to a hallway.

“I was glad that wasn’t all.” Naruto commented as they started down the hall.

“You know it isn’t.”

The top was made of wood, unlike the walls of concrete around them. It was a rather long hallway with another door at the end. The door was complex, something that Shikamaru had designed himself.

“You remember what I told you?” he asked, leaning against the wall.

In the top right of the door was a knob, and to unlock you had to move the knob to a different location, taking the correct path. There were multiple ones carved in the door, crossing between each other this and that way. Naruto had remembered the pattern well.

That door opened, and behind it just a few feet away was the last door. This was the same thing, just a different path to unlock it.

Then inside that was a small room, everything only a few feet away from each other. Four beds were in the room, stacked in pairs. There was a cabinet of food that wasn’t supposed to go bad in the wall, and in the middle was a table, four chairs around it.

“Is this what you wanted?” Shikamaru asked, already knowing it was.

“It’s… exactly what I wanted.” He admitted, putting his hands on his hips, taking in the small room.

“Now if you’ll ever use it, that’s a different story.” Shikamaru sighed, but he did like how practical it was. It was hidden, and only very few knew what it was. Most people that saw them working on it simply thought they were adding to the gardens, nothing more. Shikamaru thanked himself for coming up with the disguise.

Naruto couldn’t help but chuckle, staring around the room.

‘ _I used to live in a home this big…’_ he thought to himself.

“What’s so funny?” Shikamaru asked.

“What? Oh, nothing.” Naruto answered, not thinking it was worth mentioning.

Shikamaru raised his eyebrows, but didn’t ask again. Instead he walked to the corner of room, pointing up towards something.

“That vent is for fresh air, don’t block It.” he strictly pointed out.

“Trust me, don’t know how I could.”  Naruto said, putting his hands in the pockets of his pants.

Shikamaru started back towards the door, not checking if Naruto was coming with him.

“It’s too dark down here, I’m going back up.” He said, and Naruto agreeing with him. If they had taken the light down with them, it’d be different, but right now it was just the light that was filtering from the entrance many feet back.

As they walked back Naruto couldn’t help but feel better about everything. Maybe it was the fact that they had this built, maybe it was the tighter space made him feel more cozy, reminding him of when he didn’t have problems as big as he did now.

“Oh, one last thing.” Shikamaru said as they came back to the gardening supplies. “After today, whenever this door is opened, an alarm is going to go off at the entrances of the city, letting them know that something has happened. From there they can evacuate if needed or send for more help.” Shikamaru explained.

“Oh, that’s a good idea.” Naruto told him, surprised by it.

“Yeah it’s a good idea, I came up with it.” Shikamaru confidently stated.

“Well, hopefully we won’t ever have to get that far.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How does one end a chapter? That is a good question with no real answer.


	42. Chapter 42

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEEEY guess what guys? I messed up!   
> In chapter 38 I clearly have Sasuke say when this dang child is due but THAT WASN’T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN, so I went back and fixed it. I only changed that one line, the rest is all the same. Shutout to SpicyWifey for pointing it out to me.

A few weeks had passed since he arrived back in the city, but the guards were just as diligent as when he arrived. Sasuke was beginning to wonder if they were ever going to die down with security. Maybe once he was caught? Not likely to happen. When the kid is born? It won’t matter then.

But he needed something.

He needed her blood.

Not a lot of it, by any means, but if he could just get a few drops, supposedly he would be able to track her movements, her bodies changes, what temperature she was- everything. He tested it with himself and it seemed to work just fine, so hopefully this would as well. It’d take a toll on her body, but nothing major. Besides, he needed her and the child alive still.

He needed to know the exact day that kid is born. He can’t wait until the public knows. If they know, then all he’s worked for is ruined. Anyone that knows about the kid’s birth he just has to kill, but he can’t kill an entire nation. At least, not right now.

He had a plan, he just had to wait for the right moment.  Right now he had to find his opening. He realized that every few days the both of them had the window open in one specific area of the castle, just the two of them- sitting in there and talking or reading. He had been watching for a week, taking note of what time they left, what they did, everything.

And he was sure this was going to work.

……………

The papers were starting to stack up.

Hinata had done a great job of keeping up with letters and signatures, since she had only been doing that for the past months, but now that spring was in full affect it was harder for Naruto to do everything alone. New projects wanted funding, buildings needed approval, it was the surge they had every year. Finally after a week of him going to bed at 2am and then waking back up at 6 she had finally convinced him to let her do more. Now he went to bed at eleven.

Hinata had finally accepted that she would just use a letter opener for the rest of her life after accidentally ripping a page inside the envelope in frustration. She even tried to have Naruto show her how to do it, and he could just slide his finger under with ease and break the seal, but she just couldn’t do it.

He blamed her small fingers. She did too.

Hinata wished there was a way to sort through the letters without opening them. Half the time they were just congratulatory letters from anyone who wanted to send them, the rest were the standard ones. Complaints on various things, bridges that needed to be fixed, families asking for money to start farming, typical requests. She loved the congratulations from everyone on their child, but they were making them all start to pile up.

His yawn broke the silence between them. It was almost like a lion how far his mouth spread. He stretched out his arms with it, collapsing back into himself, shaking his head.

Hinata smiled at him before reaching for her letter opener.

“You tired?” she asked jokingly.

“It’s only ten in the morning… I can’t be tired already.” He mumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“It might help if you stood up, or got some water.” She mentioned, opening the paper in her hand.

“Water sounds good.” He groaned as he left his chair, walking over to her own.

“You want any?”  he asked her, bending to rest his upper body on the table beside her.

Hinata thought for a moment before responding.

“I wouldn’t mind.” She answered.

Naruto laughed as he looked over at her. Hinata didn’t know why. There wasn’t anything funny with her response.

“I think you just suggested water so I would get you some, too.” He theorized, raising an eyebrow at her.

“What?” she said surprised. “I just thought it was a good idea.”

She was being honest with him, but as soon as she suggested he get some, it sunk in that she wanted some too.

“Sure…” he trailed off before moving to kiss her. “I’ll be right back.”

He walked out of the room, leaving the door open behind him. Hinata stared out the doorway for a few seconds after he left before turning her head back down towards the letting in front of her.

Another congratulations.

This one she decided to read. It was from the mayor of a smaller town. She wrote that their town wanted to be the first to name something in the child’s honor- a statement many had said- and that they will be anticipating news as it comes.

She sighed. Hinata was happy that everyone else was so, but all the letters just seemed the same.

 Then she reached for the stack in front of her to grab another. It was labelled with a child’s handwriting… or just bad handwriting. She laughed at the labelling before opening it. She slid the opener under the seal to break it.

_Slice_

She dropped what she was holding, letter and opener, and grabbed at her hand. She had cut it on the letter opener. She hadn’t been paying attention to it, just going through the motions, and sliced clear into her hand.

At first she thought it was just a small cut, like a paper cut, until she saw how much blood was coming from it. It stretched across most of her left hand. It was pooling in her palm.

‘ _This is bad, this is bad.’_ She thought like a mantra. She got up, looking around the room for anything she could use to wipe up the blood.

“Oooookay, I have water for y-“ Naruto started as he turned back into the room, a glass for him and her that had water in them. His demeanor changed instantaneously as he saw the scene. His wife holding her hand at the wrist, blood dripping out of it on the table.

He dropped the glasses.

“Hinata, what happened?!” he asked as he ran over to her, forcing her to sit down again.

“I-I was opening a letter and i-I sliced my hand.” She explained, wondering why it was hurting more than usual.

Naruto bent down and started to rip off the end of the tablecloth, pulling off a piece about two feet long.

He took Hinata’s hand, and started wrapping it in the cloth. He wrapped it up a few times, closing her hand around it.

“This isn’t that sharp, how did you manage…” he started, but something caught his attention in the middle of the sentence.

He looked over at the letter opener, and slowly picked it up. He spun it in his hand, wiping it off against the table cloth to examine it closer.

“This… this is a knife’s’ blade. Did someone give it to you?” he asked, still looking at the tool. The hilt was cheaply made, like a letter opener, but the sides were as sharp as a dagger.

“I… I keep it in here so I don’t lose it. I thought it was different …heavier, than the one I used yesterday, but I just thought… one of the worker’s replaced It.” she winced, feeling her hand burn.

Naruto threw the blade at the table, watching as it stuck in through the cloth and into the wood.

He did not like that at all.

Someone must have replaced it knowingly, or at least willingly. He turned back over to Hinata, noticing she was shivering.

“You stay put, I’ll go get someone to look at you.” He told her, walking to the end of the room to close the open window. Maybe that was making her shiver.

“Yeah, that sounds... good.” She mumbled out, sounding distant.

He turned around curiously, not liking how she was talking.

“You feel okay?” he asked her. He knew that obviously she wasn’t from the cut on her hand, but it shouldn’t affect her that much.

“I’m fine, just… dizzy.” She muttered, almost swaying in her chair.

“Hinata.” He tried grabbing her attention, but she just kept staring forward. “Hey, Hinata!” but still nothing.

Instead she fell forward.

His instincts kicked in and he caught her head before she hit it against the table. He was holding her, and could feel how hot her face was.

“What the hell- Hinata!?!”

………………………………………….

She woke up, fitted firmly beneath the covers of their bed. It felt normal enough, but something was off. The lights were off, it was still dark outside, and she was in her night clothes, just like any other time she would be asleep. It was raining, maybe that was it?

She turned her head over, looking at her husband lying next to her. But maybe that was what’s off. He never slept away from her, he always faced her. She assumed that was it. Maybe he just wasn’t comfortable and decided to turn, that wasn’t unusual for a person to do.

She turned as best she could towards him, mostly laying on her back. She started rubbing the top of his back, almost like scratching it. She knew he liked the feeling whether he was awake or asleep.

But that’s when she realized what it was.

He was cold.

For normal people, being cold was something that happened normally. She was cold all the time. But him? He was like a furnace. Always warm to the touch, regardless of what he was actually feeling. He was never cold. But this was like ice.

She spoke his name, but she didn’t get a response. She tried shaking him, tried turning him towards her, but she couldn’t make him move an inch. He was like dead weight.

‘ _Okay, just calm down.’_ She told herself.

She pushed up against the bed to sit up, raising her body forward. She took her left hand and placed it on his shoulder again, trying once more to make him move.

Then she noticed she didn’t have anything around her hand.

She had just cut it, there was no way it would be completely healed by now. There was no bandage, no stitches, and no scar.

‘ _I must be dreaming, that’s what this is.’_ She thought, putting the pieces together. If she tried to look farther into the room, suddenly everything got hazy.

‘ _This must be a dream.’_ She concluded.

Hinata took the blanket off of her, throwing her legs off the side of the bed, sitting.

‘ _So, all I need to do is wake up.’_ She thought it’d be easy enough.

_‘But how… do I do that?’_

She leans forward, trying to get out of bed, but something doesn’t let her leave, like she’s stuck to the bed.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

She knew that voice to not be friendly.

She tried to open her mouth to speak, but no words came. IT wasn’t like she as unable to say anything, the words were there, but no sounds were coming out of her mouth.

‘ _This is a dream! Just wake up!_ She yelled in her head, hearing the voice approaching closer to her. She tried moving at all, an arm, foot, finger- anything.

She could hear the footsteps stop in front of her, and she knew who it was. Who else would her mind have picked to be there?

She could only see the glint of his sword.

“Helpless on your own, aren’t you?”

Lightning from the rain outside struck into the room, vividly lighting the man in front of her. He looked just as she remembered. Dark hair falling on both sides of his face, eyes so dark that you felt sucked into them, like you couldn’t look away. Eyebrows that were always arched downward, adding to the serious look his face always had.

The sword he was holding, it was the one that she had given him so long ago, still the same carvings on the hilt. Untarnished, and it shone in the lightning.  It was angled towards her neck.

‘ _Wake up or move. Wake up. Or move!”_ she urged her body, but still nothing happened. She could feel her throat tightening at his look, her shoulders rising against her will. This wasn’t the movement she wanted.

But he moved instead.

All he did was move his hand, angled it down. His sword followed the motion. The target changed from her throat to her stomach, mere inches away.

Her breathing was faster, her heart was racing, and for the life of her she just could not move. She sees his body twitch, and she closes her eyes, trying to do anything.

But she doesn’t feel anything.

Hinata keeps her eyes closed for a few seconds longer, trying to figure out what was going on. She felt differently, heavier.

She slowly opened her eyes, still in their bedroom, but she was lying down this time, still under the blankets. She darted her eyes around the room, looking at anything she could see. It didn’t seem hazy anymore, and it wasn’t raining.

‘ _Am I… awake?’_ Hinata thought as she slowly turned her head over her shoulder.

Naruto wasn’t there.

“I guess that’s better…” she mumbled, not knowing where he was was better than not being able to wake him up or move him. Also that she could talk was a plus.

She was in her night clothes, that hadn’t changed, but it was also night. She felt something wrapped around her hand, a good sign that this was real.

She brought her hand to her face, seeing the bandages that were wrapped around it. There was padding underneath it, along the palm where the cut took place.

She got out of bed, reaching for the robe that sat over the chair on the other side of the night stand. She tied it around her, realizing something.

‘ _What even happened?’_

She last remembered Naruto coming in the room after she had cut her hand, nothing after that.  Why was she in her night clothes, how much time had passed, she didn’t know anything.

Slowly she walked to the door, already feeling tired as she reached for the door handle. She slowly opened it, sticking her head out through the crack she had made.

The hallway lights were dimed, and she knew it late night/early morning just from that. She thought about just going back to bed, but she had a few questions that she knew would keep her up.

She walked down the hallway, not really knowing where to look for anyone. She thought the dining hall since it was the closest, but it would be such a strange hour for anyone to be there.

She opened the door slowly, and knew just from the inch crack she made that no one was in there. The room was completely black. With a huff, she turned around.

She debated where to check next. She could ask Shikamaru, but surely he was sleeping in his own room, she didn’t want to wake him up. Maybe the bath hall? It was the furthest of the places she could check, but she wouldn’t be surprised if he was there. Or maybe the conference room they always sat in when working. That was downstairs.

 _‘I guess I’ll check there first._ ’ She thought as she approached the opening to the stairs. She could hear someone else coming up the stairs, probably a worker. They were climbing the stairs rather sluggishly, the thumps of their feet heavy against the rug over the wood.

She turned down the stairs when she reached the opening, thinking to just mindlessly pass by whoever it was, but it turns out that it was who she was looking for.

It was Naruto.

She stopped at the top stair, one foot already down on the next, and he stopped just a few steps below her. He looked tired, his own robe wrapped around him. In his hand was gauze and more bandaging. She assumed it was for her hand.

“Hinata!” he yelled, jumping up the rest of the stairs to her. He tried to hug her, but the stuff in his hands and her over-sized stomach was proving his task difficult. He just kissed her instead.

“W-What are you doing out of bed?” he asked her cautiously.

“I just couldn’t go back to sleep, so when I saw you weren’t there I went looking for you.” She answered, being half true. It’s not like she tried to go back to sleep, she didn’t want to.

“Come on, you need to get back to bed.” He told her firmly. He moved everything he was holding into his right hand, taking her own and escorting her back to bed. She was confused, but followed with him.

“So… what happened? I cut myself, but after that I don’t know what happened.” She asked slowly.

“Ah, a lot happened.” He answered honestly, bringing his right arm up to wipe his eyes. “Let’s see… you passed out.”

Her eyes widened.

“Did i? I don’t remember that at all.” She admitted. He chuckled slightly.

“Yeah, you definitely did. At first I thought it was from how much blood you lost- which was a lot- and I yelled for help and we got you moved to our bedroom, Tsunade came by and does… whatever she does.” He explained more, reaching their bedroom. He dropped her arm to open the door. “You scared me good, you know?”

Hinata looked at him with worry, upset at herself for causing such a fright in him. She could see the bags under his eyes, how his skin even looked paler than normal. He hadn’t been sleeping much.

“Sorry… I didn’t mean to.” She apologized softly.

He shook his head. “Nah, it’s not your fault.” He admitted, staring into their bedroom. “Just don’t ask Tsunade how much of a rambling idiot I sounded like that day, and we can put it behind us.” He tried to joke, but his demeanor just wasn’t there.

“That day? What do you mean, that was just this morning?” she asked, wondering if she misheard him.

“What? No way, you’ve been out for a while.” He replied.

“Well for how long?” she asked concerned.

“Ah, about… a week? Something like that.” He answered, continuing into the room.

Hinata stopped in her tracks.

“Wait, I’ve been out for a week?!” she exclaimed. Surely that wasn’t possible.

“Sorry, six days.” He corrected himself, walking back over to meet her.

“How is that possible?” she muttered, still not believing it herself.

Naruto sighed, dropping his shoulders.

“Come lay down and I’ll tell you.” He said. Hinata agreed.

She laid back in her spot on the bed, sitting up against the frame. Already she felt her body wanting to go back to sleep.

He climbed into his spot next to her, leaving much of the bed untouched.

He sat up next to her, closing his eyes. Hinata knew his body was wanting the same thing as hers.

“That letter opener you had, it was a knife’s blade, remember?” he asked. Hinata nodded in agreement. She remembered just fine. She even thought it was heavier than normal, but it opened everything all the same.

“Someone did that on purpose. The blade was soaked in this poison-like stuff that just… I’m not even sure what it did to you. Tsunade and Sakura are still trying to figure it out.”

Hinata stared at him, completely lost. How did that just get by? It looked exactly like the one she had been using the day before, left in the same location.

 “It just weakens your body from what I understand… I just don’t know why. I-if anyone wanted to do something like this, why not go all the way? What’s the point of… you know.” He trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence.

These things kept happening. Nothing really felt safe anymore. From a bit before their wedding to three months ago everything was great. But now if felt that every day something new was coming up, there was no resting or relaxing. It just kept going.

“And it made me weak enough to be asleep for six days?” she asked, still in disbelief.

Naruto nodded his head.

Hinata put a hand on her stomach, feeling for any movements. Naruto couldn’t help but smile at her concern. He put his own hand on top of hers.

“After we stopped the bleeding that was the first thing we checked. Don’t worry, they’re fine.” He assured her, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

“Do we know how it happened?”  Hinata asked him, but Naruto shook his head.

“No one say anyone come in or out of there last night, so while that’s a possibility, the window was left open overnight.” He explained.

Hinata shook her head. “That window is a good fifteen feet of the ground, surely someone would have heard that.” She tried to reason.

Both of them sighed.

“Regardless of how it happened, Tsunade doesn’t want you leaving bed… at all.” He informed her, not knowing how she’d take the news.

“What do you mean ‘at all’?” she questioned, turning her head ever so slightly to the side.

Only getting up to use the bathroom or wash or or eat, that’s It.” he explained further. “Until the baby’s here.”

She coughed.

“That’s two months! A full two months in here? I can’t do that…” she started strong, but soon remembered how just walking around made her tired enough to want to go to bed. Maybe she did need to stay.

“I know you don’t want to, but we don’t want to take any risks right now. If I can’t even trust a-a letter opener then I don’t want you leaving this room.”

She looked at him painfully, but did agree to oblige. She was in no mindset or condition to argue.

“Fine, I’ll stay in bed. Just bring me plenty to do.” She sighed, upset at the situation, but thankful for the rest.

He gave her a soft smile, kissing her cheek.

“Thank you, truly.” He said, leaving his face next to her cheek.

“It’s not like I have a choice.” She laughed, pushing her cheek back against his lips.

He smiled as she withdrew, glad that she at least wasn’t showing concern about everything, maybe she felt safer in her, even if she wouldn’t admit it. Or, maybe he just kept her mind off of it. He would gladly do that for her.

“Give me your hand, I have to change out your bandage.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m debating skilling the next chapter… but I don’t know. It’d be short, like the “calm before the storm” chapter, but it isn’t necessary in the slightest. So I may or may not skip it.   
> Not sure.


	43. Chapter 43

“I have something for you.”

The door to their bedroom was left open during the day. She left it open so that people could walk by and check on her, not having to interrupt if she was reading, asleep, writing, anything. She had even taken to knitting recently with so much time on her hands. She wasn’t very good at it, but she still loved it. She could only make blankets and scarves, nothing that wasn’t flat, and even then she could see her improvement.

However, it was already closed for the night.

It was Naruto that had entered through the door, an already opened letter in his hand. He closed the door behind him, retiring for the night. It was already around two in the morning. He still looked tired, but Shikamaru and Tsunade had been helping him a lot more, Tsunade delegating a few more senior guards to help with the trainees. Hinata should probably be asleep herself, but she had taken quite a few naps during the day, as well as knowing he usually comes to bed around this time.

“Who’s that from?” Hinata asked, folding the corner of the page she was reading- closing her book.

Naruto walked over to her, stepping over the pile of folded blankets she had made. Right now there were four of them.

“What are you going to do with all the blankets? We have plenty already.” He asked her, sitting beside her feet that were under their comforter. Hinata shrugged.

“Probably give them away, I’m sure there are plenty of people that would want them.” She suggested, not having put much thought behind it.

“I’m sure people would kill each other if they knew it was made by you.” He joked, handing her the envelope in his hands.

“Oh they aren’t very good, don’t tell them I made it.” she replied, embarrassed at her work. The first was very crooked, with the pattern being very lopsided as she went. The second one wasn’t much better. The third and fourth were about the quality that you would find mass produced- sellable, but just barely.

She took the paper out of the letter, concluding he must have opened it for her. She put the envelope to the side and opened the trifold piece of paper.

“OH! It’s from Hanabi!” Hinata exclaimed excitedly.

“Yeah I know that, that’s why I brought it to you.” He mocked, getting up from the bed.

Hinata rolled her eyes at his comment before she began reading the letter out loud.

“Sister,

This has be so incredible! The festival was absolutely amazing and beautiful, everything was just starting to bloom and there were lights everywhere and you have to come next year, you’d love it so much! While they don’t have nearly as many trees as we do, their mountains are so cool and tall and always have snow on top of them year round.”

“Maybe we should take a trip there one of these days, it sounds nice.” Naruto chimed in, enjoying the comments that Hanabi had. He threw his nice shirt to the side, going to get a more comfy one to sleep in.

Hinata chortled at his enthusiasm.

“I’m sure we’ll end up going for one reason or another within the year.” She replied honestly.

She kept reading.

“Everyone is just so hospitable and nice, too. It feels like home, just with way more people all the time. I knew the royal family had a lot of kids, but I didn’t know they had 7! That’s insane! You better not have that many, I couldn’t take it.”

Hinata had to stop and laugh at that one. She was sure that Naruto laughed as well.

There was a paragraph break.

“However, I hate to tell you this, but I won’t be home until the start of July.” Hinata read, slowing down as she went. Naruto turned his head to look at her, seeing her energy drop as she continued reading.

“They invited me to stay for one of their children’s birthday. If it was for anyone else I would decline but it’s not just anyone. I don’t want to ruin anything by saying no. They know you and Naruto wouldn’t have made the trip, so they invited me in your stead. I still debated saying no, but she’ll be eighteen! One of the most important birthdays you can have.”

Hinata sighed.

“I know that means I won’t meet my niece …or nephew… for a few weeks, but that’s okay! You two will just have some alone time with him. I promise I’ll be home as soon as I can, and tell your man I said to take care of you!

Best regards,

Hanabi.”

Naruto climbed next to her on the bed, looking at her face. She was definitely upset about it, but she wasn’t saying anything.

“Hinata, you okay?” he asked her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“Yeah…” she distantly replied. “Just a bit torn.”

She leaned back onto the pillows that were behind her, staring at the framed top of their bed.

“I totally agree that she has to stay, someone needs to be there. But at the same time I just want her home.” She sighed, turning her head towards him.

“Hey, it’s not that bad. She’ll just be gone for a bit longer than we thought.” He tried to ease her mind, even though he felt the same way.

“Yeah, I know. A few weeks isn’t that long either.” She agreed.

“Plus, I’m sure we’ll have our hands full with other thing to keep up preoccupied.” He stated, bringing his hand to rest on the top of Hinata’s stomach. Hinata smiled at the feeling of his hand. It was warm, like it always is.

“You’re right, I’m sure I won’t even notice.” She breathed out, leaning onto his shoulder.

Even though she hadn’t left their room but three times today, she felt exhausted. She would never admit to Tsunade’s face that she was grateful for making her stay in bed all day, but the longer she stayed, the more Hinata felt that she needed it.

Naruto reached across her, turning off the lamp on the nightstand.

He was quite a bit more tired than she was, he just was able to hide it better. Right now he was working on just about everything he could get done in advance, so he can have plenty of time with her and there child once the time comes. He wanted to be a father first, regardless of what situation he finds himself in. He knew Hinata felt the same way. It wasn’t needing to have children that made them, it was wanting to.

Naruto relaxed his back more onto their bed, feeling his body sink in. It was nice to exhale for once and not have to go back to working, he could just let his eyes close.

She kissed him like she normally did every night, moving a hand behind his neck that just grazed his hair. He pulled away just slightly after a few moments together, letting his eyes rest in hers. Her eyes were truly something else, especially at night. He kissed her again, debating where he wanted to take the night. Hinata wasn’t objecting as she let him run a hand through the back of her hair.

Then they both jumped at the rapid knocking on the door, pulling them out of their trance together. They both stayed in the same location, not moving. They just stared at the door.

The rapid knocking continued, much louder this time.

Naruto got out of bed before she was able to, and he looked at the clock. Two thirty.

 _‘What the hell is going on so late?’_ Hinata thought as she watched Naruto open the door.

And it was Shikamaru.

“You have to come with me, now.” Shikamaru told him seriously. There were other times that Shikamaru had told them the same thing, follow him here, and come see this. But this was different… it was much more serious, sounded even like he was hurt.

Hinata came up behind Naruto, opening the door further. Shikamaru gave her a nod which she didn’t bother to return as Naruto interrupted their transaction.

“What is it?” he hurriedly asked.

“It’s Sakura… something happened to her.” Shikamaru regretfully answered.

Hinata put her hand over her mouth in shock. Naruto’s eyebrows furrowed, and he clenched his hand into a fist.

“Where is she?” he gritted through his teeth.

“Hospital- I already have two horses ready.” Shikamaru stated.

“Give me two minutes.” Naruto told him, and Shikamaru nodded his head. Naruto turned back into the room, and Hinata closed the door behind him.

“What… do you think happened?” Hinata asked slowly, just thinking of the worst case scenario.

“I don’t know, but I can guarantee who’s behind it.” Naruto told her, changing into something nicer than his old t-shirt and sweatpants.

“I know I can’t go with you, but just make sure she’s going to be okay.” She told him, watching as he re-did the buttons on his shirt, and then tucking it into his pants.

“I’m sure it’s nothing too bad.” He lied. “So you just stay here, and don’t worry.”

He walked over to her, kissing her forehead one last time before leaving.

“Try to get some sleep, okay?” he asked of her, knowing it was a lot after the news they just got.

“Tell me everything when you get back, okay?” she asked, putting her head on his chest. It was the best thing she could do as a substitute for a hug.

“I promise.”

He let her stay there for a moment before he turned to leave, knowing he was pushing his two minutes.

“I love you.” She blurted out as he reached for the doorknob to leave. She knew it didn’t have to be said for him to know, but any time he leaves like this she says it.

He grabbed the doorknob, looking back over at her. “I love you too.” He smiled through his worry.

He turned the door, hoping Hinata would go back to bed.

“You ready?” Shikamaru asked as he closed the door behind him.

“Yeah.” Naruto simply responded, following Shikamaru. “Do you know anything else?”

Shikamaru nodded.

“She was found in the street, collapsed and unconscious. Tsunade is already there looking at her. I don’t have any details on how bad she really is.” Shikamaru explained.

_‘Damn it… if your target is me, just stop involving other people, and face me! IF you really are behind this, Sasuke…’_

_……………………………………………………._

He couldn’t remember the last time he had been this mad for so long. This seething. When Shikamaru said he didn’t know her condition, he thought maybe it wasn’t that bad if they didn’t tell him.

But he had never been so wrong.

They stood there in the hospital room, watching Tsunade clean and stitch what she could. Sakura herself was completely unconscious. Both her eyes were purple, and one much swollen than the other. Her face was covered in scratches, with spots of dried blood around them. There were bruises on her cheeks. Her hair was tangled, mud-covered, and unruly.

Her clothes, much like her hair, were covered in mud. Various rips and cuts ran through them, and the gashes were the worst in those places, blood still coming from them. Her shoulder was dislocated-at least. Massively swollen and bruised all the way down her elbow. Her hands were dirty, with her fingernails cracked.

She wasn’t wearing shoes, so her feet were almost black with the amount of dirt and grime that were on them.  They were bleeding as well, dripping every so often.

“She has two broken ribs, the entirety of her left forearm is broken. Multiple bruises and slices along her body, and her head…” Tsunade explained, moving Sakura’s face ever so slightly to the right. “She has a concussion and I can bet its from whatever hit her there.” Tsunade pointed out a lump on the back of her head.

Naruto bit his lip, folding his arms in front of him. Shikamaru spoke for him.

“What do you think happened?”

Tsunade tried to laugh, but couldn’t bring herself to do it. “With how the bruises on her face are, it looks like someone was punching her. And these,” she gestured to the rips along her shirt. “Look like they were made from a knife.”

“She was attacked, wasn’t she?” Naruto gritted through his teeth.

Tsunade’s sigh only concluded that he was right.

“It’s not like a fall off a horse would do this.”

“When do you think she’ll be conscious again?” Shikamaru asked. “The sooner she is, the sooner we can figure out what happened.”

Tsunade shook her head. “When someone hits their head, it’s hard to guess. Some get knocked out for a few minutes, other it can be months before they wake up.”

Naruto tightened his hand.

“With a bump the size she has in the area it’s at… anywhere from a week to a month.” Tsunade concluded, giving it her best guess. “But we just can’t know.”

Naruto clenched his jaw, looking her over again. It looked nothing like Sakura did. Sakura was never this dirty, never had holes in her clothes. Her hair was always brushed, and she didn’t have… something stuck in her foot.

Naruto leaned over, closer to what caught his attention. In the heel of her foot was something lodged in it? It covered an inch of her heel, with mud caked over it.

“Tsunade, what’s that?” Naruto asked, almost wanting to touch it.

Tsunade circled back around to her foot, staring at what he was looking at. Her eyebrows furrowed curiously at the item.

She grabbed a pan from the side of the room that was filled with water, and a towel. She dipped it in the water, slowly wiping off her foot, keeping the pan underneath it. As she wiped, small white flakes seemed to come off with the mud, but none of them could figure out what it was until they revealed the item of their curiosity.

Tsunade finally wiped enough off her foot to reveal a large piece of glass that was wedge into her foot sideways. The small flakes that came off were smaller fragments of it.

“That’s a giant piece of glass to be stuck in your foot.” Tsunade mumbled as she turned back around. She grabbed a pair of tweezers and slowly worked the piece out of her foot. Naruto and Shikamaru looked away. All three of them were sure that it hurt, but Sakura wasn’t awake to protest. As soon as it came out, her foot started bleeding.

Tsunade put the piece down before cleaning the rest of her foot and wrapping it to try and stop the bleeding.

“She must have stepped on it outside, her being barefoot.” Tsunade explained, trying to clean up the other foot now. But Naruto kept staring at the piece.

His eyes focused, squinting at the glass. He wanted to touch it and pick it up, but a portion of it was covered in Sakura’s blood.

Shikamaru walked over behind him.

“What is it?” Shikamaru asked him, trying to lean over his shoulder.

“I recognize this…” he muttered, leaning his face in closer to the glass on the table.

“It looks like normal glass, how can you recognize it?” He asked with a sigh.

“There’s a design, like an engraving on it. You see?” Naruto said, pointing to the edge of the piece.

Sure enough, there was a small flower design along the longest edge.

“Okay, but where have you seen it before?” Shikamaru asked, leaning against the wall.

“Hmmm…” Naruto thought back, knowing it must have something to do with Sakura.

Then he snapped.

“That’s it! That’s the design on the cup of tea she gave me when I last was at her place!” he remembered, pointing at Shikamaru.

“So… That means she must have been home when this happened.” Shikamaru concluded.

“Tsunade!” Naruto turned to her. “Have you sent anyone to check out her place yet, see if we can find anything?”

“I’ve been a bit busy…” Tsunade grumbled, wrapping up her other foot.

“Come on Shikamaru, we need to go and check that out before something else happens.” Naruto told him, walking past him to the door.

“What are you expecting to find?” Shikamaru asked, following him.

“Whatever I can.”

………………….

The view that Naruto and Shikamaru were looking at was the complete opposite of how Sakura kept her house. It was always organized and clean. Never dust or dirt on the floor, lights all working, and everything was put in its place. Naruto could remember her yelling at him for putting a cup on her table without a coaster, complaining he would ruin the wood.

But this… this was a disaster area.

The entire home was disturbed. Plates and glasses broken and pieces of them strewn throughout the kitchen and living room. All the cabinet doors were open. Kitchen cabinets, hall cabinets, every room and bathroom was even torn apart- looted.

There were holes in the wall, two of them. One higher up in the kitchen, the other was lower and right around the corner. Her table in the kitchen was broken into pieces, wood scattered around the apartment, and her living room table was cracked in two.

Her bathroom looked the most like it should. Towels were thrown on the ground from the cabinet, and all the draws were open with their contents thrown onto the ground- but nothing broken.

The bedroom was torn apart as much as the kitchen. Clothing was everywhere, the bed was flipped, her bedside lamp was completely broken and on the opposite side of the room. The pictures she had framed on the wall were either hanging crooked or sideways on the wall, or on the ground in the pile of the glass that was to protect the photo.

There was a trail of bloody footprints leading from the kitchen to outside.

It was a hard sight to swallow for anyone that would see it. Neither he nor Shikamaru spoke to each other as they stepped lightly around the area. Shikamaru didn’t need to see or talk to Naruto to know his feelings, he could feel them. Anger- that was obvious- was the predominate one. After that it was anxiety, then stress, hate, confusion, and then fear. Naruto always kept his fear held down in front of Shikamaru, but it was obvious when he felt it. There were ticks about him. He’d chew on his gum, he’d scowl, pace, put his hand over his mouth.

Shikamaru couldn’t take much more of looking around them. It was disturbing enough to just see without knowing whose home it was. Shikamaru took a deep sigh while he was staring into the bathroom for some semblance of ‘maybe someone would live like this on purpose.’

“Well… what do you want to do?”

Naruto was in the bedroom, a few feet away from where the bathroom was. He kept looking over the scene trying to come to any other conclusion than the one that he could think of. There was a picture that caught his eyes laying on the ground, the clear glass shattered around it.

It was the three of them- him, Sakura, and Sasuke- the day of their graduation together. Sakura had her arms wrapped around both of them, one around each. Her eyes were wide open and the smile on her face was proud. Naruto’s matched hers almost perfectly- just with his eyes closed.

But Sasuke looked so different from the two of them. His eyes were distant, no smile on his face. He seemed to almost be pulling away from Sakura’s arm. He looked annoyed at the entire situation.

It made Naruto’s blood boil.

“I want investigators here… now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Iiii decided to skip the chapter, I didn’t add it in.   
> It was just a fluffy “Happy anniversary” thing but I didn’t think it was necessary to progress the story… so I didn’t write it.  
> Anyway, good stuff good stuff and a looooot more to come. Also this story is 90 days old!!!


	44. Chapter 44

How late it was he didn’t know. It felt like Naruto was feeling that way a lot recently. Waking up early, going to bed late, and feeling like he wasn’t getting anything done. In reality he knew he was, he actually was running ahead on so many things that he was running out of stuff to do. Maybe it was the stress that kept him up at night.

Over the past two weeks there was nothing that he could find that helped his case on Sakura. Nothing that caused the attack, no one saw anything, and it was like a dead end at every turn. Every one of her neighbors heard something going on, but it wasn’t unlike Sakura to be loud and disruptive, so none of them really paid any attention to it. All of them agreed that there was yelling, but none could remember anything that was said.

The worst of it was when he had to tell Hinata.

The look of shock, horror, and grief she possessed when learning about the fate of her friend just made Naruto more desperate for any leads. She had been heartbroken, moping in bed since he had told her. She was crying every few hours- having nothing to take her mind off it. She would mutter every so often about how it wasn’t fair that she was involved. If she had distanced herself from Sakura maybe this wouldn’t have happened to her.

Naruto couldn’t help but think the same thing. If he would have just distanced himself from Sakura when this all started, she wouldn’t be like she is now. He knew Sakura would never let that happen, but he could have tried. Then he might not feel as guilty.

He wanted answers, wished for them. Naruto had his hunch, a strong one, on what happened but for all he knew it could have been some random person that robbed her while she was asleep. But Sakura isn’t someone who can’t defend herself. She’s great at fist fighting- no one could ever best her. No one could try to rob her and then leave unscathed.

The only person that had the answers, the only one who could tell them the truth, was currently still lying unconscious in a hospital bed, healing.

Tsunade said that she was getting better, healing like she should. Her cuts were healing, the deeper gashes were taking to their stitches well, and her arm had just gone through the last of the surgeries to set the bone right. For what she’s been through she was doing the best she could.

The icing on top of it all was that he had moved to working in their bedroom. He couldn’t be away from Hinata all day, not anymore. It was any day that their child would be born and he himself was the only person he wanted near her until then. Everything had just gone unanswered that he didn’t know who to trust about anything.

He sighed, leaning back in his chair. He pushed his hands off of the desk he had moved in, stretching his back as far as he could.

 _‘Why are you even playing these games, Sasuke? What’s the point? There’s no reason for you to involve anyone else… There’s no reason for anything you’re doing.’_ he thought, rolling his head over towards their bed.

The small lamp he had on illuminated his wife just enough for him to see her face clearly. She only looked that calm and relaxed as she slept the past few days. He envied that.

**_“He has to have some motive, something against you… and her.”_ ** _Kurama growled. He hadn’t like the situation much more than Naruto did._

_“But that’s it, what would be the motive? There’s nothing we’ve personally done to him that would make him so… insane. I mean attacking Sakura, kidnapping Inoichi’s daughter, and somehow even slipping Hinata that knife, what did we do to him?” Naruto huffed, trying to get everything off his chest. He had been holding it in for a while now, not wanting to stress Hinata out more than she already was._

**_“It has to be something against the position. I couldn’t imagine him having a personal grudge against either one of you.”_ ** _Kurama reasoned. Everything Naruto had seen in his life, Kurama knew too. There were no confrontations they had had with Sasuke to make him like this._

_“Yeah, but even then we’ve looked through all the records we have and the only thing we know was that his brother was killed on an assignment, and with how much Sasuke’s brother loved his country, at least enough to go on a suicide mission, Sasuke wouldn’t try to ruin it.” Naruto explained, pulling out all his reasoning._

_Kurama sighed._

**_“Maybe he’s brainwashed.”_ ** _Kurama suggested. Naruto didn’t know if he was being serious or not._

_“What do you mean by that?”_

**_“Well, all I’m saying is that Danzo was a man with a lot of power, some we don’t even know. What if this was all part of Danzo’s plan? Maybe he knew Sasuke would kill him, maybe he even told Sasuke to do that?”_ ** _Kurama continued. **“But who knows, that could be a shot in the dark too.”**_

_Naruto thought for a moment about his words, and they made sense._

_“Well, that’s about the only thing that would get him out of a life sentence in prison is a reason like that.” Naruto joked half-heartedly._

**_“When do you think he’ll make his next move?”_ ** _Kurama asked._

_Naruto shook his head **.** “I don’t know, but if he doesn’t do it soon… then it’s going to be a lot more serious. I’ll personally go and find him if he does anything to my kid… make sure he never does it again.” Naruto grumbled._

**_“You think you can take him?”_ ** _Kurama wondered._

_Naruto sighed. “Not alone I can’t. But as long as I have you, we can take on anyone.” Naruto commented. It made Kurama almost excited to get some action again. It had been a while._

**_“As long as you haven’t gotten rusty on me.”_ ** _Kurama jabbed._

_“Hey, look who’s-“_

Something broke him out of his daydream-like stance.

It was a sound, but he was too out of it to have heard it correctly.  He looked around the room to see if he could figure out where it came from. The door was still shut, so it wasn’t that. The clock wasn’t anywhere near a fifteen minute interval so it wouldn’t have chimed. Nothing else was out of place either. Nothing had fallen over or moved.

The last person he looked at was Hinata, which he almost just passed off as normal as well. Everything about her looked the same as when he last looked. Her position, the blanket, even her hair all was the same.

He did a double take, looking closer at her face. If he was a stranger that had never seen her before, she might’ve looked the same, but he was no stranger.

Her eyebrows were lower, her mouth was tenser, and her eyes looked more forced shut instead of relaxed.

He kept staring at her, wondering if he would hear the sound again.

It was like a high pitched groan, and he saw it leave her mouth as she turned her head away from him to the other side of her pillow.

“Hinata?” he asked her quietly, staring at her from across the room. He didn’t want to wake her if she was still asleep. When he didn’t get an answer from her he assumed she was.

She groaned again, bringing her body closer to her core, like she was cold.

“Hey, Hinata…” Naruto said again, getting up from the desk. He walked slowly over to her.

He heard her mumble something but he couldn’t make out what she said. He stopped next to her on the side of the bed, leaning down next to her face. Her eyebrows were much more arched than they were before.

“Dear, you okay?” he asked her, leaning closer for her response.

She nodded her head, dragging her hair along her pillow.

“Just… sleep pains” she murmured, looking to be fine again.

He had never heard of something called sleep pains, but she seemed to know what she was talking about. Of course, she could also be sleep talking and just saying anything that comes to mind. She rarely did that but on the occasion it tended to be much funnier than that was.

He decided it was time for bed then.

If she was lying or didn’t know what she was talking about, then he would be right there next to her in case anything else happened. If she wasn’t and whatever was happening had gone away, he got to sleep.

A win/win for him.

He started to unbutton his shirt from the top down. He had gotten used to wearing button-ups every day, but it still didn’t make them any less of a pain to take off. Usually he just undid the top two and slid out of it like a normal shirt.

Then he heard it again, that wince from Hinata.

He quickly turned his head over to her, but she didn’t seem phased by it, and kept her eyes closed like normal. He hesitantly turned back to his shirt, keeping his ears open.

Then she called his name.

He didn’t remember moving, but he ended up next to her in the same amount of time it took to blink.

“I’m right here, what is it?” he asked her, helping her sit up.

It looked like she was holding her breath, waiting for something. Naruto didn’t know what she was waiting for, but he was waiting for an answer.

She let out the breath slowly, through her nose in short bursts.

“Can you… go get Tsunade for me, please?” she asked, still with a smile on her face.

“Go get Tsunade, yeah, I can do that. Or do you want me to send someone else and stay with you?” he asked, not wanting to leave her if she was in pain. There was little doubt in his mind that this wasn’t about the baby, and he didn’t want to miss anything.

“No, I don’t want people worrying if it’s just nothing.” She explained.

He nodded at her reasoning.

“Okay, I’ll be right back, you just stay put.” He told her, making sure she knew it wasn’t a suggestion. He kissed before departing, re-buttoning his shirt as he walked out.

…………………………………….

They moved her to a separate room on Tsunade’s order. A smaller and more discrete room, and of course a bed for her to lay on.

Tsunade had been ‘on call’ for the last few days for this, deciding to sleep in her office even though they offered her a room inside the castle. She said it was like sleeping at home more in the office than in the castle. The rooms were smaller, and less people by a long shot. She also didn’t care for people barging into her room, cleaning, touching, and moving things around.

She had a few other medically trained personnel that she trusted with her as a team. She had delivered a good number of children before, but she wasn’t taking any risks with this one. It was much more personal than any other she delivered, and nothing was going to go wrong. She left the room to fetch some other things she had left behind in her office.

Naruto thought she was crazy for leaving. Tsunade just couldn’t leave his wife like this, he didn’t really have much of a clue what was going on, and the doctors that were in the room weren’t helping either.

They were using terms he wasn’t familiar with, asking her questions that she knew the answers to, but it was like a different language to him.

While they were asking her questions about who knows what, Naruto was trying to tie her hair back. He had seen her do it so many times it always looked so easy, but he just couldn’t get it right. Strands kept falling, he didn’t wrap it tight enough so once he let go all the hair would just fall out. It was terrible.

Finally she gave him some advice for it, once she got a break.

“Put it all in your hand before pulling it up, it’ll be easier.” She explained. He had been grabbing layers of it and pulling it to the top of her head and off her neck, but he just wasn’t coordinated enough to keep what he already had up, and then grab more of it.

He tied it back with the ribbon she had, and let go of it, watching as it stayed put. It didn’t look as nice as hers always did, but it would work just fine.

Tsunade came back in the room, towels a notebook, and a few other things Naruto couldn’t make out in tow. She brought everything to the table next to Hinata, setting it down.

One of the other doctors, all clad in white, handed Tsunade a clipboard. She took it, looking over what was written on it.  She lifted up the sheet to look at what was behind it.

“Around four forty-five you started feeling pain, yeah?” Tsunade confirmed. Hinata nodded in agreement.

“And it’s about every five to ten minutes right now?” Hinata nodded again.

Tsunade sighed, tossing the clipboard on top of the towels. “Better get comfortable. At least eight more hours of this is what my guess is, at that rate.”

Naruto saw Hinata’s shoulder’s raise before she sighed, not wanting that answer. To be honest he wasn’t wanting that answer either.

“What do you mean by eight hours? I mean it’s almost seven in the morning now, she just has to sit here in pain for _eight hours?”_ he asked, thinking that there must be something else they could do.

Tsunade shook her head. Hinata did too. He saw Hinata open her mouth to reply, but Tsunade beat her to it.

“It takes time to happen. Some people have kids in two hours, others can be upwards of a full twenty four.” Tsunade replied.

Naruto saw his wife nod in agreement.

“It took Mom forever with Hanabi… she and dad weren’t at dinner that night, and I had to wait until after dinner the next day to see her.” Hinata explained, breathing in sharply at the end of her sentence.

Naruto didn’t know if he could handle watching her in pain for eight whole hours. Not to mention it’ll just get worse as time goes on. Of course he would do everything in his power to make her as comfortable as possible, but at some point it’s out of his hands.

Hinata turned her head back to Tsunade.

“If I can ask… how is Sakura doing?” Hinata wondered.

Tsunade blinked at her a few times before she answered, not expecting to hear that question right now.

“I can’t believe you. You’re having a baby and you’re still concerned with her…” she sighed before actually answering.

“She’s fine and healing well, and I’m actually glad that she’s still unconscious.” Tsunade answered, leaning against the side table.

They both gave her a curious look.

“If she wasn’t she’d probably try to break out of the hospital to be here, and I don’t need that today.” Tsunade concluded, glad she got the two of them to smile. She turned, walking over to the three other doctors in the room to run over a check list with them.

“Well… how do you feel right now?” Naruto asked Hinata, not sure what else to do.

She gave him a small laugh. “I won’t lie, I’ve been better... Can I ask you a favor?”

“Yeah, ask me anything and I’ll get it done, don’t worry. Do you need another blanket, are there too many? Do you want you knitting stuff I can go get that if you want, or I can get you a book if you’d rather have that?” He started rambling. Naruto even knew he was rambling, but for some reason just couldn’t stop.

“Just… water. Lots of water.” She told him calmly. She loved him dearly, but he also needed to calm down for both her sake and his.

“Right, water, I can do that.” He assured her. In the back of his mind he wondered if he really could get her water. Last time he did when he came back her hand was bleeding everywhere. But at least this time she had four other people in the room with her, one of them rivaling him in terms of brute strength. He thought about asking one of them to get water, but most didn’t know the layout of the castle, and they looked fairly busy, unpacking an array of things from bags they had brought, Tsunade having a different clipboard in her hand.

_‘It’s just water. Just go ask the kitchen for water, or a pitcher of water. Maybe a bucket? She wants a lot but how much is that? Should he just get a large glass?’_

It was at that moment he realized he had been up for twenty-four hours.

He ended up going with a pitcher, that way when she drinks all of it she has more, and if she runs out then he can get her fresh water, instead of water that’s been there for a while.

It was a good idea to him, but a bit awkward when the staff was asking where both him and Hinata were, and he didn’t know what to say other than “Just busy, you know?” but he sure they could tell by his sweaty hands and shakiness that something else was going on, even though he was trying to hide it.

It wasn’t until his way back to the room that someone started going the same direction as he did. They were a soldier, dressed up for the part and all. She bowed to him as she turned into the same hallway, walking his direction. Nothing she should be going to was this way anyway.

“So… where are you heading?” he asked her, genuinely wondering.

“I have a message to deliver to Tsunade, sir.” She responded, keeping her head forward.

 _‘Why do they still call me sir?’_ he wondered before replying.

“Did someone tell you where to find Tsunade?” he asked, not knowing how she knew to go this direction.

“There was a note on her desk saying where she was.” she replied simply, like it was no big deal.

Naruto would make sure to mention that to Tsunade.

“Oh, I see. Well Tsunade is actually a bit busy and in a… confidential room. I can deliver the message for you.” Naruto told her as they stopped right before they turned the corner.

“Oh, Tsunade would really want this herself, I’m sure.” The soldier replied, meaning no harm by her words.

Naruto laughed obviously fake, but tried to sound genuine and just leaned a little closer to the soldier, making sure she knew how serious he was.

“She’s a little busy, so I’ll relay the message.” He spoke clearly.

The guard nodded her head, knowing what he meant. She straightened her back and cleared her throat, presenting herself as she would in front of Tsunade.

“A patient of hers has woken up and Tsunade wished to be made aware the moment it happened. Her name is Sakura Haruno.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha, oh man, I really can’t wait to write the rest of these. It’s going to be… so much fun. I’m about it.
> 
> However I can’t decide if I want something included or not and like it won’t make the story any different except for a few lines but I have to decide to do it during the next chapter or not and I just don’t knoooooow like it wouldn’t really add much of anything except making the characters line up to how they do actually but I just don’t know I could do it for the drama but even then it wouldn’t be revealed until like closer to the end of the dang story I just mmMMMMMMMM


	45. Chapter 45

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember at the end of last chapter where I was struggling if I wanted to do something or not?  
> Doing it.

Of course Sakura would pick the most inconvenient time in the world to wake up. Of course she would.

Naruto dismissed the guard, watching her get a good distance away from him before he started freaking out.

What was he supposed to do? Go and see her and just leave Hinata? Send Tsunade to see her and have the only other person he knew in that room gone? Should he send Shikamaru? No, Sakura doesn’t talk to Shikamaru. Besides, Shikamaru should already be down there, he was the main person assigned to figuring out what happened to Sakura, he was leading the investigations. He would already know.

Then he remembered the water in his hand.

He hurriedly went down the hall, careful not to spill anything as he jogged his way back, making sure his wife was taken care of before he was going to take care of anything else. Plus, he was sure that Hinata would be delighted to know the news.

He knocked on the door before coming in, just to give everyone a warning. He didn’t wait for permission however, he just came in.

The scene hadn’t really changed, aside from Hinata’s face being just a bit sweatier than when he left. Her bangs were starting to stick to her forehead. He was sure that’s why she wanted water.

He poured water from the pitcher he brought into the glass, letting it fill up to the top before handing it to her. She was thankful and down the drink in just a few seconds.

“You want more?” he asked, glad he didn’t go with just a big glass.  But she shook her head.

“Not right now, but thank you.” She smiled at him. She didn’t seem to be in much pain right now, which was fine by him.

He turned to Tsunade.

“Hey, I have a message for you. Someone was coming by to give it to you because you left a note on your desk, saying where to find you.” Naruto stared at her, wondering her reason for leaving a note.

“Well yeah, other people need me. There’s no way I’m leaving, but people need to tell me things!” She reasoned with him, getting up from the chair she was sitting in.

Naruto stared at her for a few more seconds before sighing. Her answer made sense and as much as he could tell her what to do, she’d never listen to him.

“Anyway,” he started, looking at Tsunade and then down to Hinata. “Sakura is finally awake, that was the message.”

Tsunade sighed, having the same thought process as Naruto did.

“Of course, OF COURSE She would pick the worst time!” she reacted, throwing her hand in the air. “I don’t have time for this today…” she grumbled, pacing.

Whereas Hinata’s was completely different.

“Really? She is?!” she said, sounding excited. She grabbed the end of his shirt. “You have to go see her!” she told him firmly.

“What? There’s no way I’m leaving you here like this.” He told her bluntly, not knowing she would be so for him leaving.

“She’s our friend, and we have to know what happened! And you have to make sure she’s okay. Tsunade even said it’d be hours before we can do anything, you need to go see her.” she demanded.

“But Shikamaru should already be there, he can get all the information to him.” He explained, hoping Hinata would take that.

“If what we think happened did, then there’s no way she’d tell, she’d want to tell one of us.”

She didn’t take it.

“But…” he hesitated, not knowing what else to argue with. He looked over at Tsunade for help.

“I have to stay here. Anything could take a turn for the worse at a moment’s notice.” She stated.

“And that’s why I can’t go!” he exclaimed, finding that if that wasn’t a good enough reason he didn’t know what was.

“I’ll be fine, I promise!” Hinata pleaded with him.

“Mmm.” He groaned. Not what he was wanting to hear.

Hinata moved her head closer to his, speaking softer.

“Naruto, do it for me, okay? I want to know she’s all right.” Hinata breathed out, almost like a whisper. “Tell her to get better, I miss her.”

“… I just…” he whined, part of him wanting to leave, the other wanting to stay. But the look on Hinata’s face, the pleading look she had, it was too much for him to resist and he was sure she knew it.

“Fine, okay. Fine. I-I’ll go, make sure she’s fine, listen to her story or whatever she wants to tell me, and I’ll be back here within the hour.” He hoped, not knowing how long it’d really take.

Hinata breathed a sigh of relief, wrapping an arm around him.

“Thank you.”

……………………..

It took him longer to leave than what he expected. He told Hinata goodbye for at least twenty minutes, telling her if she needed anything to send someone, or if anything comes up, or if she just missed him, he would come back in an instant. She just kept nodding her head, trying to hurry him up to leaving.

When he arrived at the hospital, he didn’t even stop his horse completely before getting off, in too big or a hurry to spare the few seconds. He knew someone would keep watch and tie her down for him.

Plus someone was already standing outside to meet him.

“I was just about to send for you, you know.” Shikamaru grumbled, having his head hung low and hands on his hips.

Naruto didn’t know why he was out of breath, but he tried to steady his breathing so he could respond.

Shikamaru looked at him curiously.

“What’s wrong with you?” he asked, leaning his head over to the side.

Naruto just shook his head, not wanting to tell him outside what was going on.

“Just ah… haven’t slept, bumpy ride… and it’s hot.” He added, feeling the sun beat down on his back.

Shikamaru nodded slowly, the way he always does when he knows someone is hiding something. But he shook it off, as he usually does. Shikamaru wanted to get to the point.

He turned around, walking inside the building. He made sure Naruto was following him.

“Anyway, Sakura wouldn’t tell me what happened, she wants to talk to you. She said you needed to know and how you wanted to handle it should be up to you.” He sighed. He hated how complicated she was being.

“Sounds like Sakura, she doesn’t like going through others.” Naruto confessed.

“Yeah, well, it’s a pain.” Shikamaru told him, putting his hands in the pockets of his pants. “Just go in and get the full story. I’ll wait out here.”

Naruto nodded.

He took a deep breath before knocking on the door. He didn’t hear a response, but he still gave her a minute, just in case. He slowly opened the door and he felt a wave of relief hit him as he saw her green eyes. They were open, alert, and awake. She was sitting up all on her own, and while she still looked beat up, it was a world of difference from two weeks ago.

“S-Sakura, how are you?” he spoke softly as he closed the door. He didn’t know why he whispered, it just felt right. The room was empty with a white light illuminating everything.

Sakura, on the other hand, didn’t seem to be quiet at all.

“Well, it’s about time you got here.” She told her, keeping a straight face. He looked at her confused, not understanding her tone.

Then she cracked a smile.

“I’m just kidding, come sit down.” She told him, gesturing to the chair beside her bed. He gladly took her offer.

“And for little bit I’ve been awake I’ve been fine. A little in pain, but fine.” She told him, answering his question from before.

“Good, that’s really good.” He replied. He didn’t really know what to say to someone who’s been out of it for two weeks. Did she even know it had been two weeks? Surely Shikamaru told her that.

She changed her expression, narrowing her eyes.

“Anyway, the reason you’re here…” she started. “You need to know what happened.”

Naruto moved closer to her, waiting intently for her to start.

“I’m sure you’ve already guessed, but… it was him. Sasuke.” She stated, not skipping around anything.

Naruto furrowed his eyebrows, knowing that was the answer all along, but was even madder at him now that she confirmed it.

“It felt too personal to tell Shikamaru…. I just couldn’t do it.” he sighed before starting.

Naruto didn’t know what that meant, but didn’t want to ask. He’d know soon enough.

“It was late, a few hours past midnight and the rain seemed to keep pounding down, not wanting to ease up. I tried going to sleep, but I just couldn’t with all the noise from the rain outside.” She started, closing her eyes to remember back to what happened.

Naruto just listened, not wanting to interrupt.

“So instead of sleeping, I was reading a book on the couch, trying to see if that would make me fall asleep, just staring at something.” She paused.

“And then I heard a knock.”

Naruto put his arms to rest on his thighs, keeping his eyes locked on her.

“So I walked over to the door, and I asked who it was but I didn’t get a response.” She explained. “So I opened the door just to make sure no one was out there… and he was standing there, just a foot in front of me.”  She breathed.

“He… towered over me, a little bit more than you do. His hair was longer, his face seemed sharper, his clothes were mostly black and he was completely soaked… At first I couldn’t believe it was him, not saying anything. Then after it clicked that this was reality and not some sort of dream, he was really standing in front of me, I went to close the door as fast as I could, find a way out of my apartment, go get someone to help or or see if I could make it to you two.” She shook her head.

“But he grabbed the door before I could close it.”

Naruto shook his own head, feeling his teeth grind.

“So he forced his way in...” he concluded, but Sakura corrected him.

“No... He just said my name. He had this... pleading look in his eyes, this helplessness around him, and how he said my name it was just so… so lonely, desperate, and… even afraid.” She explained.

Naruto felt like he could relate to that. It sounded similar to the look he just got from Hinata to come here.

“I tried to fight him off, trying to get the door closed and locked, but he just begged me to listen to him for just a minute, that’s all he wanted.”

“So… you did?” Naruto asked her.

“I… I told him I would listen with the door shut, and I’d give him a minute.” She elaborated. “He tells me how sorry he is, how lonely and scared he was because he couldn’t take living how he did anymore. He was tired of being a criminal, he was manipulated into doing it, but he couldn’t just come forward and say that after all he’d done and he needed help. And I was the only one he trusted enough to help him… I was the only one he thought still loved him.” She sighed.

There was a moment of silence between her and Naruto as she let her words sink in.

“Thinking back on it… he just played with my emotions. He knew I still loved him, and he took advantage of that.” She just bit her lip, trying to hide her shame.

Naruto, while he was upset at Sakura for believing him, she should know better, was furious with Sasuke for treating her like this. He physically hurt her, and played with her emotions all at once.

He wondered what it was like to love someone like Sakura did with Sasuke. Someone so broken and so far down a path that she can’t follow… it must hurt.

“I opened the door and looked at him, asking what he wanted. At first he didn’t reply but then he just said he wanted a second chance… so I let him in.” she laughed at herself. “I really thought he was back to normal. He joked and laughed with me, I made him some tea, trying to figure out how in the world this was going to work but just being around him felt so normal again. We spent a good few hours with each other. He didn’t want to tell me about what he’d been doing, what he’d done… it was too painful for him to talk about. “

Another pause.

“That shouldn’t have been a warning right there… if he wanted to change, if he… he really loved me like he said he did that night, then why wouldn’t he tell me?”

“He said he loved you?” He asked. That didn’t sound like Sasuke.

“Multiple times.” She nodded. “He made me happy and felt loved and wanted that night but he just… ruined it all.”

Naruto didn’t have words to say, what was he supposed to? Just confirm more that she should have acted differently? Or say that it wasn’t her fault? That he was manipulating her? Those were already things she knew and he didn’t want to dig them in deeper. So he just stayed silent and kept listening.

“I still feel like everything that night up to a certain point was genuine, that he really meant everything he said and did that night. But it was just… I said something and it was like it triggered him, and he started acting differently.”

“… What’d you say?”

“I just said something like ‘Have you thought about how you’re going to approach Naruto and Hinata? They’re the ones you need to apologize to more than Me.’ and it just… changed him.” She shook her head, still trying to wrap her mind around it.

Naruto stared off, debating whether to say something now, or let her continue. He didn’t have much time to decide before Sakura started talking again.

“He got up, didn’t even answer my question, and came over to stand next to me… and he just said- no, he commanded that ‘I tell him everything I know about those two.’” She quoted, leaning as far as she could to her friend.

“I asked him what he meant but he just kept repeating himself, following me around the kitchen and living room with every step. It was almost hypnotizing in a way that I don’t understand. Then he stopped asking about you two and asked about your baby. Anything I knew he wanted. He didn’t care how insignificant I thought it was, he wanted to know. It was so strange to see him fixed so much on it... like he was an addict.” She told him, worried.

Naruto did not like the sound of that at all. He was fine, or as fine as you can be, with Sasuke wanting information on him or Hinata, that made sense and he would expect that. But their child? They had done nothing wrong, not even seeing the world yet. They were too innocent for a criminal to speak about them in such a way, like a target.

He didn’t like that, not at all.

Sakura continued on, “And I just kept telling him to stop and stop until he pinned me against the wall in the kitchen. It was then that I had to come to terms with the fact that he was just using me for information, and I even fell for it… and I got so enraged and angry at him, I punched him clear in the face. I went and grabbed the pot I used to heat the water for tea, hitting him over the head with it. He pushed me into one of the cabinets, causing everything to fall out. I mean… we went back and forth for who knows how long. He eventually grabbed one of my knives, started at me with that.” She held out her arm so he could see one of her gashes. He had seen it enough the first time, but it looked better with the stitches.

“I went to turn the corner to go back to my bedroom, there was a window in there that I could climb out of. He grabbed my arm, and swung me into the wall, snapping my arm completely. He hit my arm on one side, and around the corner my head slammed back into the wall.” She raised her good arm to feel the bump on the back of her head.

Naruto paused her for a moment.

“So he didn’t… use any sort of strange thing on you?” he asked her.

She shook her head. “I’m not sure what you mean… but all of it was just punches for the most part, using whatever we could find against each other.” She answered honestly.

_‘I know he’s capable of the same stuff Danzo could do… so why didn’t he use that on her? Did he not want to kill her?’_

“Sorry, go ahead and continue.” He told her, keeping his thoughts to himself.

But she just shook her head. “That’s most of what I remember, after that it’s just hazy. I remember hearing him going through everything I owned, like he was looking for something. He tore through cabinets, my bedroom, and bathroom, everything he could. I couldn’t move off the ground, everything just felt numb from that hit to the head. I passed out after that.” She explained.

Naruto shook his head.

“But we found you in the street, how’d that happen?” he asked, wanting to get everything to match up.

“I woke up who knows how long later and he was gone from what I could tell. I had to leave and tell someone, tell you two or Tsunade, some other guard, something. But I just didn’t make it very far.” She admitted with a huff.

Naruto huffed the same, running both his hands back and forth through his hair.

Not only was Sasuke the person that attacked Sakura, not only did he want information about him and Hinata, but he wanted information on their child, the one that was being born today, the one that he needed to get back to, to protect. If Sasuke was really after their kid…

One of them wasn’t go to survive their inevitable battle. And Naruto knew exactly which one of them that was.

“You need to be careful, you hear me? He has to have already been getting information if he knew how close I was to not just you, but Hinata as well. He won’t keep hiding forever.” Sakura told him, trying to get him to look up from the ground.

“Yeah, I’m aware of that.” He painfully sighed. He needed to get up, this chair was making him feel drowsy, and he didn’t have the time for that right now. He had his wife to get back to.

He felt like they covered everything he had questions on. He couldn’t think of anything else to ask her.

So he stood up.

She looked at him curiously.

“Where are you going?” she asked him, watching as he walked towards the front of the room.

Naruto just shook his head.

“I have to get going, you kind of interrupted something.” He tried to joke through his worry and drowsy state.

Sakura just stared at him blankly, not sure with how to respond.

“What did I interrupt?” she asked him, turning her head to the side.

Bad move, he shouldn’t have said that. Naruto knew if he told her the truth she would do exactly what Tsunade said she would. Try everything in her power to be with them. Naruto knew she needed to stay here.

So he lied.

“Oh, I was in the middle of a meeting.” He tried to sound sincere.

Sakura looked at him, knowing it sounded a bit off.

“…and Hinata says to heal as fast as you can, she misses hanging out with you.” He added on at the end, trying to change the subject. He also had to keep his promise to Hinata.

He was glad Sakura took the bait.

“Well you tell Hinata to have that dang baby so she can come see me!” she joked, leaning back on her bed.

“I’ll make sure to tell her that.” He laughed back, reaching for the door handle.

“Wait… one more thing.” Sakura blurted out. It wasn’t like she had forgotten to say it, but more like she was saving it.

Naruto turned around, looking back at her.

“Make sure to kick his ass for me.”

Naruto let the words sink in before he looked down with a smile, shaking his head. Of course she would ask him to do that.

“That’s the plan.”

He left the room silently, Shikamaru still standing on the other side of the door. He looked like his patience was worn thin.

Naruto exchanged glances with him before the two started moving down the hallway, in sync with each other.

Naruto spoke first.

“We were right, not too much surprise.” He sighed, not wanting to give many details in a public place. Shikamaru breathed out deeply, not sure if those were the words he wanted to hear or not.

“How the hell did it all happen?” was the only question he could really figure out to ask.

Naruto just shook his head.

“HE manipulated her. He knew she loved him and he used that against her.” he explained, trying to stay calm. The more he thought about what Sasuke did, the more his blood started to boil. “He started asking too many questions and he finally snapped, and she tried to defend herself… and wound up here.”

Shikamaru groaned, not liking how anything was going today.

“He’s getting more risky then… any idea what his next target might be?” Shikamaru asked, mainly needing someone to throw ideas off of.

“Sakura is Hinata’s closest friend, so beyond her it’d be you or Tsunade, but he knows he wouldn’t get anything out of you two, you have no history with him.” Naruto concluded, finding no reason why they would be involved.

“So then it’d be you and Hinata next.” Shikamaru concluded bluntly, no way around it.

But Naruto shook his head.

“I don’t think so.” Naruto looked around them, finding no one in the hallway that could overhear what he was going to say.

He leaned in closer to Shikamaru, lowering his voice.

“Sasuke kept asking Sakura not just about me and Hinata, but our kid. He seemed more interested in that than either one of us.” Naruto whispered, feeling sick just saying it.

Shikamaru jerked his head back in surprise.

“You don’t think-“

“I absolutely do.” Naruto finished for him. Sasuke was after their child, no way around it.

Shikamaru pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. HE stayed that way for a few good seconds.

“So… what do you want to do?” he asked. Shikamaru already knew what they should do, but wanted to include whatever idea that Naruto may have.

“I want all the guards we have available, I don’t care if they’re on vacation or have the day off, if they’re in the city, they’re working. I don’t want them just around the castle, I want them at the entrances and exits of the grounds and the city, standing and observing on street corners and in crowds.” He started, thinking his plan through.

“You think they can take him?” Shikamaru asked, genuinely questioning him. But Naruto shook his head.

“No, I want them there to keep watch. If any of them see anything, they report it in. Then they either keep an eye on him if they see him until I get there, or they get out of there if he notices them.”

Shikamaru nodded. “We can do that.”

Naruto sighed, trying to think what else to do.

“And all the staff at the castle needs to be sent home, I’m not risking their lives.” He added on.

“You want them sent home… today? When Hinata has the baby? Or when?” Shikamaru asked.

Naruto did one more glance around the area, just to make sure. He spoke much quieter than he had earlier.

“Hinata is having the baby… today. So I need them sent home today.” He finally revealed, much to Shikamaru’s surprise.

Shikamaru leaned away from him, a look of confusion, worry, but still excitement covered his face.

“W-what the hell are you doing here then?!” Shikamaru asked dumbfounded.

“She made me! When we got the news Hinata pleaded with me to come here. That’s why Tsunade didn’t come, she’s with Hinata.” He explained. Even if they told him to, he still felt terrible for leaving. Saying it out loud just made it worse.

Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck.

“Okay, okay you get back there and don’t worry about anything, I’ll take care of it. You just stay with Hinata.” Shikamaru told him. He felt he’d regret taking on the task, but both him, Hinata, and Tsunade couldn’t. He was the only one left.

Naruto felt a wave of relief hit him when he realized that he could just be with his wife. That’s where he wanted to be, and the only thing he wanted to be concerned about. If Sasuke, the city, and the entire country could just hold off on everything and anything for at least a few more hours, that’s all he wanted.

But he couldn’t find the words to express his gratitude.

“That sounds great.” Was all he could say.

Shikamaru put a hand in the middle of Naruto’s shoulder, almost pushing him.

“Well are you going to leave or not?” Shikamaru joked with him, knowing the answer.

“I’m leaving, I’m leaving!’ Naruto told him so he would stop pushing. Instead he just jogged off on his own.

“I’ll take care of it, so don’t worry!” Shikamaru yelled at him.

Naruto waved back to him, not really having a response. As much as he trusted Shikamaru to get everything done, he couldn’t help but worry. It was impossible for him not to. Maybe he got that from Hinata, or maybe he just didn’t have people to worry about before, and now that he did, it was constant.

He decided it was the latter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to scrap this chapter and rewrite it because I wanted it to be a flashback with Sasuke and Sakura but I still wanted Naruto and Sakura to comment on it and be involved with the story but I just couldn’t make it work…  
> Anyway.   
> Fun times in the neighborhood. So review, favorite, like, comment, subscribe, whatever you can do so you don’t miss the next one.


	46. Chapter 46

Naruto did the same thing as earlier before he entered the room, he knocked before entering, but didn’t wait for a response.

A wave of relief hit him when he saw the scene hadn’t changed much except that Hinata was sitting differently. She was laying on her side and not sitting up anymore. He would have thought she was asleep if he hadn’t heard her groaning in pain.

She tried to sit herself back up when he walked in the room, but he quickly went to her instead, not wanting to make her move too much.

“How is she, is everything okay?” she breathed out, obviously in pain. Tsunade walked over to them, wanting to hear Sakura’s status as well.

“I should be asking you that.” He joked slightly, but still meaning what he said. “How have you been? Do you need anything?” Naruto turned his head over his shoulder, acknowledging Tsunade behind him.

She vaguely smiled at him. “Hurts… a lot. But it’s worth It.” she admitted. This was her choice, she knew what it came with. She didn’t want him to worry. 

But of course he was worried, there’s no way he couldn’t be. He noticed the tired look on her face, the pained expression and sweat that pooled on her cheeks and forehead.

“But how was Sakura, she’s okay, right? What happened?” She tried to change the subject back, worried about her friend. Naruto could see the expression change when she talked about her, for a moment it was like the pain she was feeling had gone away.

But if he told her the truth, would she still look like that? Or would it just add a layer to everything else that was causing her pain? He didn’t know what confirming their suspicions would do to her, so maybe if he did, then she still had hope that it could have been some freak accident, that their friend wasn’t targeted on purpose.

He hesitated.

“Sakura was still kind of out of it, not really able to talk much. So I came back here.” He lied.

Naruto heard Tsunade take a deep breath before she walked back over to where she was originally sitting, a few good feet away from Hinata. Hinata looked at him curiously, or as well as she could.

“I guess that makes sense.” Hinata mumbled, adjusting her head against the pillow she was laying on.

“Naruto, come here.” Tsunade commanded, putting a foot up in her chair. She was leaning her weight on it.

He leaned over Hinata, kissing her forehead.

“I’ll be right back.” He assured her. She smiled, nodding her head.

He walked away from her, towards Tsunade. She told one of the other doctor’s in the room to do something, he couldn’t hear what. But he went over to Hinata and started asking her questions about how much pain she was in.

“Why are you doing that?” Naruto asked- genuinely curious.

“For one, it helps us track how close we are to when this baby is actually going to be born.”

Naruto mouthed an ‘o’.

Then Tsunade lowered her voice, practically whispering.

“Second, it’s to distract her. What really happened with Sakura?” she asked, inches away from him.

Naruto looked at her a bit surprised.

“What? I just sai-“

“Hinata may be out of it because of the pain, but you were gone for almost three hours. Something happened, and you’re going to tell me. Sakura may be your friend but she’s the only pupil I’ve ever had.”

Naruto looked back over at Hinata, making sure that she was in a conversation with the other doctor.

He matched her volume.

“It was him, like we thought.” He told her first, which in turn made Tsunade sigh, pinching her eyes shut.

“I feel like no one else could have done that to her.” Tsunade admitted quietly.

“He tricked her into letting him in to her home, then he tried to… to beat information out of her.” he summarized. It wasn’t his place to tell Tsunade how Sakura let him in, that was for Sakura to say.

“Do you know what she gave away?” Tsunade asked, biting at her lip.

Naruto shook his head. “She didn’t.”

He saw her shoulders relax.

“That’s good, that’s good.”  She mumbled, staring off at the ground. “What kind of information was he wanting?”

“He wanted it on me, Hinata… and the baby.” He confessed.

Tsunade turned her head slightly. “The baby?”

Naruto nodded. “Sakura even said he was like an addict, wanting to know specifically about it.”

Tsunade took a moment to respond, slowly nodding her head.

“Well that’s not good.”

“Ya think? That’s why I didn’t tell Hinata. I don’t want that on top of everything else she’s going through.” He admitted, making sure his voice was still low.

“Yeah, we don’t need her worrying about that right now, good call… anything else?” Tsunade asked.

“I’m having all the staff sent home as we speak, and getting every soldier we can on watch for anything and everything. I’m sure Shikamaru got a better description of what Sasuke looks like now, and he’s telling them all.” Naruto answered.

“That’s what I would have done.” She admitted lightheartedly.

“I can make fairly good decision, I feel.” He joked back to try and lighten the mood.

Hinata groaned, breaking the conversation between the two of them. Instinctively, Naruto cleared the distance between the two of them. He leaned down next to her, noticing her heavy breaths.

The doctor that Tsunade had go and check up on Hinata came back to report to her while Naruto was doing what he could to ease the pain his wife was feeling.

“We should be good to go, everything checks out, her vitals are fine, and no unforeseen issues have come up.” He reported, holding himself up straight. There were few people in the world that would be so honored to help deliver the next line of royalty in their country, and he was proud to be one of them.

Tsunade nodded, taking in the information.

“Alright,” she proclaimed, putting her hands on her hips. “Let’s get to it.”

……………………….

She felt that she was truly going to pass out. The room looked blurry no matter where her eyes were fixed. At the entrance to the room? Blurry. He husband holding her hand next to her? Also blurry. Maybe she was crying? She couldn’t tell.

She was lightheaded. It almost felt relieving when mixed with the sharp contracting pain from her abdomen that echoed through everywhere else in her body. But it also added to the feeling that she was going to just go out.

She knew she had a grip on his hand stronger than she thought was possible for her, but he didn’t wince, didn’t try and recoil his hand, he just accepted it. He didn’t let it phase him as he kept mumbling phrases to her, things like _‘you’re so amazing’_ and ‘ _keep it up I love you I love you._ ’ Constantly in her ear. Hinata hated to admit it, but she wasn’t listening to his words, she was using them like a rhythm. It was helping her keep her breathing steady.

That, and a few other choice phrases were what Tsunade was repeating to her. She had to keep her breathing steady, count to ten with every push, she couldn’t relax for too long, or else it would just get worse.

She really tried to keep quiet during the whole ordeal, but every so often she couldn’t help the whimper or the groan or exasperated yell that just escaped her lips. Hinata felt like her body was speaking on its own when she couldn’t hold them back, saying it was too much.

But she had come too far, waited too long, and had been through so much that she would be damned if she just called it quits now. She wasn’t going to pass out, to give up, she could take it. She had been through worse, right? She wanted to hold that child in her arms, to kiss them, love them, and to protect them at all costs.

It had maybe been two hours of just pushing, taking a moment, then pushing again, then taking a moment. Just back and forth and back and forth and she felt like she wasn’t getting anywhere! There had been this constant ache and contracting pain for almost nine hours of her life, and she was ready for it to be over.

And then she heard a sound that was so joyous and beautiful, it made her collapse back in relief as she held a hand to her mouth. If she wasn’t crying before, she definitely was now. She loosened her grip on Naruto’s hand, wanting it to wipe her tears.

It was the cries of their child.

She was crying just about as much as their baby was. She heard Naruto move from her side, but she was too exhausted and worn out to lift herself up to see where he went, so she just kept crying. She was happy. So so incredibly happy.

She could hear Naruto’s own hiccups for breath in between his teeth, he was crying too.

Maybe she did pass out for a moment. Her eyes closed and it felt like so much time had passed, but when she opened them again, the room looked the same and everyone was still there.

Naruto walked slowly over to her, she could hear him. Her vision was still a bit blurred, but it was coming back steadily.

“Nata… Look at him…” He mumbled out. He didn’t know that it would be so hard to speak in this moment.

He only ever called her ‘Nata’ in moments that were truly rare. Moments that made him so emotional that he wanted to share with her, and ‘Hinata’ wasn’t personal enough.

“… A boy? It’s a boy?” she weakly replied, trying to sit up. Tsunade came to her other side to help.

Her husband nodded.

“I… I told you.” She quipped. He smiled, shaking his head at her comment.

He sat down next to her, holding their son in his arms. He was wrapped in a blanket, but his face was so small and vivid and just perfect…

It’s when Hinata started hiccupping with her tears. They streamed down her fast faster than any river could go. Naruto soon joined her, being overcome by emotion just like she was.

She held out her arms, wanting to hold him. Naruto shifted, helping Hinata take him. Her arms were too weak right now to support him, so Naruto still kept one arm underneath for extra help.

“H-hi… I’m… I’m Mom.” Hinata whimpered, barely controlling herself.

Naruto nodded, echoing her words.

“And… And I’m Dad…” he mumbled, matching her tone.

After all the misfortune that had befallen their friends and the constant fear of not knowing about the future, what was to come, and all the uncertainty around them… he was what made it all worth it. He was the one happiness that they both could rely on. He was there, alive, and in their arms.

Tsunade made sure to put extra pillows behind Hinata for support, letting Naruto’s other arm take her position on Hinata’s back. She wanted them to have this moment together, she shouldn’t have to be a part of it.

“Nata… we don’t even have a name for him…” He couldn’t help but laugh.

She stared at him through the tears in her eyes, looking him over so many times. You could see the small tips of his fingers poking out from underneath the blanket, all ten perfect fingers. They were just like theirs, but so much smaller, so full of innocence and potential. A whole life ahead of those fingers. His eyes were shut tight, and she couldn’t blame him, there was so much in the world to still see, it was a bit too much all at once.

His hair was blonde like the sunshine, and just like his father’s. It was in messy little tufts atop his head, completely unorganized and unruly, but it was the most beautiful color.

And then, the most prominent feature about their son that just echoed his father was the two small cheek marks that adorned his face. They were small, but definitely there.

She kissed his forehead, she kissed it so many times she lost count. He was perfect, he was their son, and they were a family.

Neither of them knew just how heavy their hearts would grow, seeing him for the first time. The unconditional love from each one of them was enough to make both their chests heavy with it. It was so unexpected, but it just felt right.

“B… Boruto…”

That was it.

It clicked, just like they wanted it to. There was no doubt or hesitation that was his name. Neither one of them knew which had said it, but they both agreed that was his name. Boruto.

Tsunade watched them from a few feet away after dismissing the rest of her team. She wanted the new family to have alone time together, to just be happy and filled with joy. It was supposed to be a happy time.

“Well…” Tsunade hated to break the moment. “As much as I’d hate to, I have a certain student of mine to attend to. I’m sure she’s getting impatient, wondering where I am.” Tsunade bowed out, making her exit to them. She knew it was good for them to be alone.

Before she could leave, Naruto stopped her.

“Tsunade… thank you, truly.” Naruto told her, trying to clear his eyes.

She just laughed.

“It’s my job, kid. Don’t worry about it.” she replied, reaching for the door handle.

“Make sure she gets some sleep, her body needs to recover drastically over the next few weeks, so don’t push her… You should get some too.” She reminded, making her exit.

Hinata hadn’t taken her attention off their son, and Naruto already regretted doing so to thank Tsunade.

He could feel Boruto moving underneath his hand, just rocking on it. This baby, their son- his son- was alive and breathing and had hair just like his own. His face was just exactly like his mothers, more round and soft. Maybe that had to do with him just being born, but the resemblance was so perfect for it to be more than coincidence.

“He’s perfect…” he whispered, not wanting to be too loud.

Hinata nodded her head to agree, words couldn’t suffice.

……………………………………

Hinata had fallen asleep shortly after Tsunade left, their son laying on her side, still cradled in Naruto’s arm. He wanted to fall asleep himself, but just couldn’t. He had been awake for much longer than Hinata had- granted she had been through so much more than he had- but he was pushing almost two days at this point, but he just couldn’t.

He had their son in his arms, someone that was a target, and someone that couldn’t help who they were. He couldn’t just fall asleep like that. On top of it all, his wife needed sleep more than the both of them. She couldn’t walk or really move out of bed without it hurting. She was completely defenseless to everything like that.

He was paranoid, but wouldn’t anyone else be? I mean, surely there was no way that Sasuke would know that their child was born today, so they should be safe. Once the news gets out, then that’s going to be the real fight.

But something just felt… off. Made him feel wary. Maybe it was the fact that he had a son, and that he had to look out for him as well. To a baby, almost everything is a threat. That could be it.

Night had just fallen, and the air turned cooler versus the hot wind from the day.

_‘It’s going to be fine’_

Is all he kept repeating as the night continued on, Naruto still awake and on alert.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know for someone that doesn’t have kids, has never even been close to having kids, I know a lot about babies and pregnancy? Which sucks because I write it and it’s like “that would totally not happen in real life” but you can’t write what really happens because like no one wants to read about the gross stuff about having a baby because that’s not fun to read!   
> Anyway, that is all.  
> Next chapters here on out are going to be… fun.


	47. Chapter 47

He couldn’t sleep even if he wanted to, and he wanted to. He was surely right at the cusp of two full days without sleep. He felt tired, his eyes were heavy, and his breathing was slowed, but sleep never came. He knew he needed to sleep, but even with his wife and child asleep next to him, he just couldn’t do it.

Everything was a distraction. From the small clicks and chimes that echoed through the empty hallways of the castle, to the wind outside- it picked up at night. But the biggest distraction was breathing. Not his own, not even Hinata’s, but their son.

Boruto.

His breathing was so much smaller than his own. His chest barely raised with every breath, but his nostrils flared with every breath he took. Naruto could feel his movements as Boruto laid on his arm, feeling his back relax and strain with his breathing. He could hear it too, how it whistled faintly out of his nose. He would move his little hands around on occasion, grasping at nothing until Naruto put his own finger there, to which he gladly held on to. His eyes would twitch on occasion, but they never opened. They hadn’t since he was born.

For a second he wondered if they were like his, or like Hinata’s. In his opinion, her eyes were much more beautiful than his were, but he was sure shed say the opposite. Either way, he’d love to see them no matter what they were.

Then he felt something. It wasn’t an actually feeling, like a vibration, movement, or someone else’s touch. It was like an atmosphere change. It was thicker, heavier, and harder to breath. He took his eyes off Boruto and looked around the smaller room they were still in, but nothing was out of place. The staff at the castle was very limited, almost no one was there except for the ones that just refused to leave.

He hoped Shikamaru forced them out.

Maybe he just imagined it, that nothing had really changed. He was probably just paranoid. There was no one anyone else knew that their son was born mere hours ago, let alone Sasuke. News couldn’t have communicated that fast. Everyone that knew was sworn to secrecy. Even Tsunade wasn’t the type of person to give that away.

But he knew he was imagining it when Boruto started shifting, turning in the blanket he was wrapped in. His breathing was heavier, almost looking like he was having to work harder to breath. He glanced over at Hinata and swore she had started doing the same thing out of instinct.

Then he really felt it.

There was a rumble. A vibration that shook them. It was like an earthquake as Naruto watched everything in the room shake. There wasn’t anything really that would fall over in the room, most things were pretty stable. But he was sure it knocked over picture frames and lamps in others.

Instinctively he turned his other arm to wrap around both Boruto and Hinata, as an act of protection. He wasn’t sure what it would do, but he did it anyway.

The rumble woke Hinata up from her sleep, something that Tsunade was firm on her getting. She was still out of it, only lifting her head from the pillow she was resting against. She looked around the best she could with her drowsy eyes.

‘What…. Was that?” she mumbled, trying to gather herself.

Naruto shook his head.

“I don’t know, maybe it was just an earthquake.” He mentioned hopefully, thinking that was the best case scenario.

He could already tell that Hinata shouldn’t be up from the way her breath hitched when she tried to move. Her body still trying to heal.

His mind was already going to the worst possible scenario, but kept hope that it might have just been an earthquake. She was in no condition to move, let alone run, and their son was only hours old.

“Just lay back down, don’t worry about It.” he whispered, making sure to not wake Boruto.

Hinata looked over at her son, placing a hand on his cheek, surrounding his entire face it was so small. She smiled at him.

Then they felt it again. It was louder, more powerful, even shaking the end table over a few inches.

And it was accompanied by a boom.

Naruto didn’t like that, not at all.

He placed Boruto into Hinata’s arms, her completely ignoring the sharp pains as she moved to take him. He started stirring more in her arms, but Hinata calmed him back down.

Naruto could smell smoke. Not like the kind that came from smoking pipes or from making food, but fire burning smoke.

Without even saying anything, Naruto got out of the bed.

“Can you walk?” he asked Hinata.

A dumb question. Even if she could she would have to move slowly. And on top of that there was no way she could walk to where he wanted to take her in the amount of time Naruto hoped they had.

Hinata tried, despite knowing she couldn’t. She was already breathing heavy just from getting her legs off the bed.

Naruto grabbed Hinata in his arms, Boruto in hers. She was surprised, but knew all her senses weren’t working completely yet from being woken up. Boruto remained calm, firmly held against her chest.

“Do you smell that?” she asked him as he started towards the door. He nodded.

“Yeah, I can see it too.” He replied, putting his back against the door. It was warmer than normal, but not by much.

Hinata thought it was just because she couldn’t see clearly from sleep, but the room did actually have a layer of smoke in it. She covered Boruto’s mouth and nose with his blanket loosely, doing what she could to make sure he didn’t breathe it in. She tried to remain calm, but it was proving harder once he opened the door.

The smoke was much thicker now, and she was only able to see a few feet in front of her. She kept Boruto’s blanket close to his face, but made sure he could still breathe.

Then there was another boom.

Naruto stabilized himself against the wall, spreading his legs and crouching for support against the heavy shockwaves. They could hear crashing from down the hall, things falling and breaking, and even a small cackle from wood burning every now and then.

Hinata held her hands as best she could around Boruto’s ears, but that still didn’t prevent him from starting to cry.

“Shh… shhhh….” She tried to coo him, knowing it would have little effect. She turned her head to her husband, who was looking behind them, towards the explosion.

“What is going on?” she almost had to yell for him to hear.

“I have a good idea.” He gritted, He thought back to what Kiba had told them, about the explosions that were so sudden and came from nowhere. These seemed to match the description well.

 “…But I need to get you two to safety first.” He replied, turning his head forward. His eyes already seemed to be red, but surely faded back to blue as started. He tried running, but he couldn’t run very fast carrying not only her but Boruto as well. Not to mention that with the smoke growing heavier and heavier he wasn’t able to see.

Then there was two. They followed seconds after each other, causing him to have to stop and regain his balance, immobilizing him for a good fifteen seconds until the shaking stopped. He could feel the heat from the fire growing stronger and stronger, seeing the orange glow as he looked down the length of the hallway.

He knew who was doing this, he knew who it was. There was no doubt. Kurama was seething already, wanting to get this over with. Hinata was holding their son close, acting like a shield to him, letting him cry into her chest. Neither one of them blamed him for crying. It was loud, there was an obvious threat here, but both Hinata and Naruto put his safety first above all else right now.

He continued running as best he could hearing more of the hallway behind him collapsing to the ground with a crash. He didn’t know how much range these explosions had, but he didn’t have much time to get where he needed to be. Once outside he was fine, but the fastest way there was still going to take a good five minutes at the pace he was going. Not to mention carrying them both don the nursemaid hallway that cut down to the first floor.

But he’d be damned if he didn’t make it.

He closed the door to the small hallway. Stretched out to the side were steep stairs that ran all the way down to the bottom floor. Once there, it was just a turn of the corner and make it down the hallway and they were out.

Then there was another explosion.

If Naruto hadn’t have been holding Hinata, his hands would have been over his ears it was so loud. He gritted against the pain. It rang, shook his body to the bone with how forceful it was. He couldn’t feel his heartbeat for a good few seconds from the force as it shook through him.

Hinata held one ear against his chest, trying to protect her own while doing everything she could to protect Boruto, shielding his ears as best she could. They were so close, the explosions. She knew he could run faster, that he could get out of the castle in time…

If he didn’t have her.

Once the rumbling stopped, Naruto took a step.

“Put me down.”

Naruto stopped in his tracks, turning his head down towards Hinata. Had she really just said that?

“What?” he asked softly, knowing fully well what she said.

“Put me down.” She pleaded, even trying to get down herself. He decided to oblige, not wanting her to hurt herself.

“Hinata, you can’t walk, you know that.” He reasoned with her, not sure what she was doing. She was wasting time.

Then she held out her arms, putting their crying son against his own chest. He could feel how his cries shook his small body as they hummed against his chest. He wrapped his arms around Boruto, still confused.

“You… you can’t take both of us.” She admitted.

There was an arrow that pierced his heart at her statement. He knew exactly where she was going with this just from that sentence and he wasn’t going to follow. There was no way. Not even the pleading, glossy eyes she had could convince him to do it.

“No, no Hinata you aren’t talking like that.”  He told her, grabbing at her hand, but she pulled it away the best she could.

“Just come back for me, I’ll… I’ll be fine. Just make sure he’s safe.” She kept repeating, but Naruto kept interrupting her.

“No, no no no Hinata I’m not doing that.” He firmly told her, wrapping his arm around her waist. He picked her up against her will, continuing to make his way down the narrow hallway, her in one arm, Boruto in the other. Definitely not his ideal situation, but then again none of this was.

“Put me back down!” she yelled at him, but he didn’t pay her any attention. There was no way in hell he was leaving her.

That is, until she hit him.

It wasn’t hard or with much force, but it was a fist that firmly hit his back. It made him stop, realizing that she actually had hit him. She had never hit anyone in her entire life, and knowing that she went to such a level he knew that she meant it. She wanted this, she was too smart to be hopeful like he was.

He regretted doing it, but he placed her back down on the ground, watching as she collapsed to her knees. She looked so weak and out of it, not being able to help it. She was panting from yelling, and the smoke that was lingering in wasn’t helping.

He put his knee down on the first step of the staircase leading downward, facing her. She had tears in her eyes. If they were from the smoke, the situation, or from pain he would never know.

He just didn’t want this to be the last image he knew of her.

“Hinata… please. I-I don’t want to be the reason you don’t see our son live to be even a day old.” He breathed out, his own voice wavering.

She just shook her head.

“And I’m not going to be the reason he doesn’t live to be a day old.” She told him honestly.

This hurt.

This hurt like hell. Any pain he had ever had in his life, this hurt ten-fold. He had been called an outcast, a monster. He had been told that no one would ever love him, no one wanted him in their family. That he would never amount to anything no matter how much he tried.

He had all those things, he had love and a family, and the risk of that falling apart was so real and close it hurt so much it was almost immobilizing.

_“_ _You aren’t in that situation!”_

This felt eerily similar to that same conversation. The ones that Shikamaru yelled at him just a few months ago.

He shook his head, feeling his breathing starting to hiccup.

_“Would you risk your child’s life, or Hinata’s huh? If you had to kill one of them, which would you choose?!”_

The worst part was remembering his answer.

It felt like some cruel joke that this would happen, he’d have to make the choice he never wanted to. He knew he was right, even if they were confronted, he wanted neither her nor Boruto near him and Sasuke. He wanted them safe.

He wanted his son safe.

He grabbed the back of Hinata’s neck, squeezing her against his shoulder. He burrowed himself into her neck, not minding the cries from Boruto in his arms.

“I love you… so so much.” He told her, feeling himself start crying. He didn’t want to, he hadn’t planned on it, but the tears came anyway.

“I know… and I love you just as much.” She whispered against his ear. Then she looked down at her son cradled between them both, watching his own crying face.

“Boruto… mommy loves you, okay?” she told him, leaning down close to his face. His cries got quieter the closer she was.

“Don’t ever forget that, okay?” she whispered, not even loud enough for Naruto to hear. She kissed his cheeks, before pulling back. She knew they didn’t have much time, and she couldn’t take up any more.

“Hinata, I will come back, I swear.” He told her firmly, wiping off his eyes.

She nodded in agreement.

He got up from the step and turned. He hesitated leaving, pinching his eyes shut at how much it hurt to do this, but he knew what his priority was.

So he went.

He didn’t look back, he didn’t have time to. He went down the stairs as fast as he could, rounding the corner out of the small nook of the castle and turning back into the main area, making sure to keep Boruto covered, just like Hinata did. The smoke was thicker downstairs, but the lower to the floor you were, the less there was. Before continuing on down the long stretch of hall to get outside, he looked around, making sure no one was near him. When he didn’t see any, he didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad.

If Sasuke wasn’t down here, where was he?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aah oh boy, this was a chapter I was really looking forward to writing, specifically the departure scene. I had those lines between them written out for quite a while.   
> Anyway, updates are sure to come, and if I update like I normally do… we should be done like… next Tuesday? Sometime next week and WOW that’s a relief to say. I’ve been working on this thing since October it’ll be nice to take a break from it all   
> But thanks for reading and reviewing and favoriting and commenting and all that!


	48. Chapter 48

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There’s more language in this chapter than I think I’ve written all story. Whoop droop piddle poop. Also these kind of chapters always seem to trail off from what I had in mind. They always end the same, but how they get there is always different.   
> ……………………………………..

_“Faster…. Faster… Faster!”_ he yelled internally, running down the hallway. He could see the end of it, where there was a turn that head outside. That’s what he needed. Once he was outside he could get to the locked underground safe room and keep Boruto there. After that….

He didn’t know.

Was he supposed to leave Boruto there… alone? What if for some unjust reason someone was able to get in, then what? No one would be there. But if he stayed, then what about Hinata? There was no way in hell he was going to leave her longer than possible. But was he willing to risk leaving Boruto alone like that? In the dark, locked away for who knows how long. What if he couldn’t make it back down there and he was left for hours with nothing?

He decided to figure that out later. He didn’t have time for specifics. Making sure his son was safe was the only thing on his mind right now- fighting back everything else.

He turned, went down the half flight of stairs and saw the large wooden door that lead outside. It was just the home stretch now. He knew the combinations and the patterns, all he had to do was get there.

When he pushed the door open, it was like a completely different world.

There were soldiers running everywhere, in the opposite direction of where the explosions were coming from. He must have just caught the tail end of it as they seemed to be trailing off.

That means they weren’t staying to fight, and that’s what he wanted. HE knew this was a fight none of them could win, he either wanted the sheer numbers to keep Sasuke away, or that one of them would spot him and they could prevent any of this from happening.

But neither came true.

He looked around, trying to find a way through the running army without just cutting through them. His head darted and dashed in every direction, avoiding the embers the sifted through the night air.

Then he saw was what the biggest relief he felt in the past few hours- the answer he needed.

It was Shikamaru.

He was running this entire plan without Naruto, something that he himself completely forgot about. He was directing the last of the soldiers out of the grounds through the farthest gate from the fires. He was yelling at them things Naruto couldn’t hear, but the look on his face was serious and pained.

He yelled.

“Shikamaru!”

Not many people could yell as loud as he could, and in cases like these he was glad for it.

Shikamaru turned his head, the expression on his face changing to a more curious one. Their eyes met across the distance, and it took only an instant for Shikamaru to start running towards him, Naruto following suit.

“Are you two both alright?!” Shikamaru yelled out, closing the space between them.

Naruto nodded, closing the space.

“We’re… we’re fine.” He answered, panting. “I need you to do something for me.”

Shikamaru had been referring to him and Hinata when he asked if they were both okay, not to him and the child that he kept close to his chest, whose muffled cries were silenced by the cackling of fire burning, the yells of the soldiers running, and the crashing of stone from the castle as it fell to the ground.

Shikamaru didn’t really know what emotion to feel once he pieced together the child in his arms. Happy for his friend? Excited? Or is he supposed to keep his mind on the situation and not even comment on it.

But he didn’t the chance to anyway.

Instead, Naruto outstretched his arms, offering the child to him.

“Shikamaru… take him to the shelter… stay there...” he told Shikamaru.

His arms instinctively went to grab the child. Surely he wasn’t more than a few hours old. He looked down at the crying boy, noting the similarities between him and his father.

He kept his eyes locked on the child.

“What about you, where are you going?” Shikamaru asked.

Naruto turned his head back towards the door he just came out of.

“I have to go back for her.” he stated.

Shikamaru jerked his head up.

“You mean you left her?!” he yelled.

Naruto turned around faster than Shikamaru had ever seen anyone move.

“ _YOU THINK I WANTED TO?”_ He yelled ferociously. His teeth were gritted, and his hands were in fists.

Shikamaru took a step back, never seeing someone so… seething before. It was terrifying. Naruto slowed down his breathing, calming down.

“Okay… go get her.” Shikamaru agreed, knowing he pinched a nerve.

Naruto nodded. He almost turned back around to go back, but his eyes caught something. It was blood. It was on Boruto’s blanket, on the outside.

He had a small panic attack, thinking at first it was his own, or Hinata’s, or the worst case, his own son’s.

It was a strange feeling where he saw Shikamaru’s hand was bleeding, getting on the blanket.

Naruto reached out to his hand. He couldn’t give his son in good faith to someone who was injured.

“What the hell happened to your hand?” Naruto asked him as he touched it, Shikamaru still having hold of Boruto.

“I don’t know, probably from the initial blast.” He admitted. “Shards of glass and pieces of wood went flying everywhere.”

Naruto breathed in, closing his eyes. Then Shikamaru could feel a warm, almost burning sensation against his hand.

“What the hell-“

“Did you see him, see what he looks like?” Naruto asked, ignoring the reaction.

“… He was in black, and it looked like he had a sword attached at his side.” Shikamaru stated slowly.

So it was Sasuke.

Naruto didn’t know who else would be capable of this, but it was a bittersweet confirmation.

 Naruto took his hand off of Shikamaru’s. He adjusted Boruto up against his shoulder for a moment to analyze his hand.

Completely healed.

“How the hell did you do that?” Shikamaru asked cautiously, wondering what else he didn’t know about the man in front of him.

Naruto opened his eyes and for a second, Shikamaru thought they were red.

“I’ll tell you later.” He said honestly, looking over at his son. He leaned in close to him, scooping his head into his hand.

He whispered, only for Boruto to hear.

“Dad is going to go get mom now.” He muttered, breathing in heavily. “We both love you… so much. I’ll see you soon.”

He promised.

He turned his head back to Shikamaru, backing away towards the entrance.

“I’m going. I’m trusting you, Shikamaru!” he yelled as he got farther away.

Shikamaru nodded, knowing he couldn’t yell loud enough for him to hear.

………………

It had gotten a lot worse inside. He could actually see the fire downstairs, and the smoke was much thicker now. He thanked Kurama for the heightened vision, making it easier to see. He used his power to move faster, something he was terrified to do with Boruto in his arms, not knowing what affect it would have on him.

It was mere seconds when he reached the entrance to the small corridor that he left Hinata at the top of, yelling her name as he entered. The smoke wasn’t as bad here, with both ends being sealed off.

But he didn’t hear anything back.

He yelled again.

“Hinata!” he cried out, turning to the bottom of the stairs.

His heart stopped.

Climbing up them as fast as he could, he couldn’t believe what he saw, he didn’t want to believe it.

She wasn’t there.

She couldn’t have gone down the stairs herself, he would have seen her on his way back. She was smart enough to know not to go back the way they came, so where could she be?

There were small drops of blood on the floor that his eyes caught. They were small, but they trailed out of the room, if you could call two drops of blood a trail. They were bigger drops, about two inches in diameter.

And the more he looked at them, the worse he got.

He busted out of the hallway, yelling her name.

Naruto broke for just a split second, thankful for his heightened vision. In front of him just a foot was nothing. A gaping hole that lead down to the burning first floor. The entire area in front of him was completely gone. He could even see the trees outside.

 _‘Damn it… where is she?’_ he thought, looking for some way she could have gone. He couldn’t see any more blood on the ground to help him, not that there was much ground for it to be on. He didn’t know whether or not to be thankful or afraid that he couldn’t see any.

The only way she could have gone was the small pathway, maybe only two feet wide that stretched down the rest of the hallway that lead to one of the side entrances of the dining hall.

He had no idea why she would go there, but it was better than her not seeing the pit in front of him and… or Sasuke finding her which he also didn’t want to think about.

So he made his way down the small path of broken flooring, watching the flames slowly die off the further he went. He could still feel the heat from them well enough, and the smoke was starting to get to him.

_SNAP_

He could feel himself falling, seeing the ground below him getting closer and closer. He didn’t have time to curse his luck, just enough to grab onto the board falling with him. The board broke from underneath him. Not only the board, but the entire walkway he was standing on just seemed to peel off the wall.it was still attached at some point, thankfully slowing down his momentum before hitting the ground. His feet dug into the ground, a few feet away from the flames.

He was about to jump back up there with Kurama’s help, but when he turned he noticed something in the distance.

From the opening of the burning castle, he could see so clearly through it all. The burning fire, the ashes in the air, the smoke, everything. There she was.

Hinata was standing there, held up by the very person that caused all this. That was destroying their home, assaulting their friends, murdering their soldiers… it was him, no doubt about it.

Naruto gritted his teeth, his own vision going red with anger and rage. This lunatic had his wife locked in his arms. She was too weak to fight back, too weak to even stand on her own and he was straining her, forcing her up.

“Sasuke, you bastard.”   He gritted between his teeth, feeling his fingernails digging into the flash of his palm.

The worst part was he could see the smirk on Sasuke’s face.

Naruto didn’t really process how he was going to get outside- just that he was going to. He climbed up over rubble and debris, watching as the fire started to catch up with him. He couldn’t care less if he got burned, he could heal himself just fine.

Hinata could hopefully do the same, now that she wasn’t pregnant, but if she was even thinking well enough to do it he didn’t know.

He finally made it over everything, and started running towards the two. Hinata’s mouth was covered by Sasuke’s hand. Her eyes were pleading, but angry. Her plain loose fitted night dress was burnt at the bottoms, in tatters for the last foot of the fabric. Her bare feet were black with soot and dirt.

He however was still wearing that smirk, still confident in whatever his plan was.

He saw Naruto getting closer to him, the ground around him flaring dirt with every step. His arm was behind him, ready to punch Sasuke.

Sasuke took his free hand, grabbing the small knife sheathed behind him, sticking it against Hinata’s throat. Naruto thought it was a bluff until he nicked her.

Not enough to kill her by any means, but the small stream of blood from her neck was enough to make Naruto stop dead in his tracks.

“Were you looking for someone?”

Sasuke’s voice hadn’t changed, but it still was like hearing a stranger speak for the first time. Naruto didn’t know who this was anymore, he wasn’t the friend he made so many years ago, he wasn’t the same person that he would spar against in training, who he’d race on horseback against and would get yelled at by Tsunade together. This was a stranger.

“Just what the hell do you want?! If your issue is with me, leave her out of it!” Naruto yelled at him, feeling his anger grow as he saw Hinata’s blood drip from her neck.

Sasuke didn’t answer the question, he just kept his smirk.

“I was looking for her too, and I guess I just found her faster.” He mocked, knowing full well he was pulling at Naruto’s strings.

“Answer me, Sasuke!” he yelled louder, wanting his answer.

Sasuke’s demeanor changed from cocky to serious gradually. His face turned lower, his grip around Hinata was firmer, and his eyes more narrow.

“Revenge.”

Naruto jerked his head back, confused at the answer.

“Why are you wanting revenge? We haven’t done anything to you. Nothing to warrant all… this!” Naruto gestured behind him.

Sasuke jumped back, kicking off the ground with amazing force, almost like he disappeared. He swung his head around, watching as he took Hinata over to one of the lower roofs of the castle, a good ways away from the flames, but that could always change.

Sasuke’s eyes left Naruto’s glare with ease as he dropped Hinata onto the roof, letting go of his support for her completely.

She was panting heavily as every part of her body ached. Her hand went to cover the cut on her neck. Sasuke’s hand, however, went to the sword that was attached to his side.

Naruto just about went all out, wanting to prevent anything he was about to do with it. But Hinata stopped him. She kicked her leg out, hitting his own. It caused him to trip, almost falling flat down next to her.

If the situation wasn’t so serious he probably would have cheered her actions, laughing that she knocked him down, but this was no time to laugh.

He reacted quickly to her kick, getting up from his knees, unsheathing his sword in one fast motion.

He cut into her thigh, deep. While her cry of pain may not have been deafening to anyone else, to Naruto is was pure torture.

Sasuke kept his sword pointed at her neck, making sure Naruto knew to stay where he was.

“That’s so you don’t try anything.” Sasuke told her coldly as she held her thigh, trying to stop the bleeding. She was crying from the pain she couldn’t help, but that didn’t make her expression any less angered.

Naruto’s blood was boiling, his fists and jaw were clenched. His eyes flaring red at the man who stood before his wife.

**_“Just get him! One good kick away from her.”_ ** _Kurama yelled out, upset that Naruto wasn’t moving._

_“I can’t! His too close to her. He’d notice I’d move and he’d go for her. Even if he didn’t with the speed id be going I can’t guarantee I wouldn’t hit her!”_

Sasuke turned his whole body towards Naruto, still having his sword pointed directly at Hinata.

“My brother… he was forced into an assignment he couldn’t win, and you people knew that!” He yelled, clenching his free fist.

Hinata was trying to pay attention to him, but the pain was getting the best of her. Naruto, was listening, but still trying to come up with a plan to get onto the roof without risking Hinata. He was trying to buy time, letting Sasuke talk.

 _‘That doesn’t add up with what our records show…’_ he thought, but didn’t interrupt.

“He was taken from me just days after my parents were. They were killed right in front of me!” Sasuke yelled out, now glaring back at Naruto.

“And do you know who it was that killed them?” he asked, almost joking.

He paused, gathering himself.

“Danzo…” he stated, breathing out slowly. “That’s the main reason I killed him. I didn’t care what his plans were or what he wanted… once I found that out I knew what I had to do.” Sasuke admitted, shifting his gaze over at Hinata.

“Your father’s right hand man, that he trusted so much… he was a murderer. He was told to kill them, I don’t know why he was, but they didn’t deserve to die in some alleyway, their blood spilling next to their son who watched it all happen.” He grimaced.

Hinata had no idea what he was talking about. Danzo never was sent out on assignments, especially ones to kill. That was like them sending Shikamaru or Tsunade… it’s just not their job. Even if her father had, the file on Danzo would have record of it, but there wasn’t any.

But she wasn’t going to provoke him more over a dead man.

“And… you all knew what happened, and you still sent my brother to his death. The only family I had left! For years I hated him, thinking he abandoned me alone, I didn’t even know he was dead. You sent him on a suicide mission that you all didn’t do yourselves because you’re cowards!” he yelled.

Hinata shook her head.

“That… that wasn’t us, that wasn’t me. We…. We’re the same age… I had no control over what you’re saying… you already killed my father, isn’t that enough?!” she cried out, trying to reason with him.

“You still got to live your perfect life in bliss, isn’t that right? You didn’t have to struggle, didn’t have to feel pain like I did.” He snapped back, still keeping an eye on Naruto below.

He bent down next to her keeping his sword firmly against her neck.

“You all took everything from me. So I’m going to take everything from you.” He started.

“First, I’m going to kill him.” He threw his eyes over at Naruto, standing firmly on the ground.

“Then, I’m going to kill you.” He pushed his sword against her neck, causing the skin to bulge around the metal. She winced at the cold steel.

“Then that son of yours, I’m going to make him suffer for the rest of his life just like you have. Shame I couldn’t wait till he was older, but I want people to think he died with you.” He told her, grabbing her face to make her look at him.

She spit on his face, causing him to jerk away, taking his sword off her neck,

“You… will not make an orphan of my son…” she breathed heavily, but she meant every word.

He paused, wiping his face slowly. His eyes glared at her.

“Watch me.”

He left the roof, jumping down to land next to Naruto. Naruto stepped back, wanting more distance between him and Sasuke.

Sasuke could match Naruto’s speed, there was no way he could get to Hinata and get her to safety without him either catching up to them both on the roof, or when he took her down with Boruto. Naruto hated to admit it, but he had to immobilize him.

He had to fight him.

“Sasuke… Danzo lied to you, you know that? We have records, physical proof of what happened! Why are you trusting him so much?!” Naruto tried to reason with him, buying more time to come up with a plan.

“I’m not trusting him, I’m trusting myself.” He replied, keeping his eyes locked.

“Sasuke, your brother loved this country, he knew what he was doing and what he got in to. He volunteered for that assignment, knowing the dangers, but he was the only one he thought could pull it off! E-Even Hiashi asked him if he wanted to reconsider it!” Naruto kept going, but Sasuke just shook his head.

“You don’t know my brother, your words are useless.” He just kept repeating.

Naruto could hear some of the castle crumbling down in the distance, knowing he didn’t have much time.

“ _Kurama, you ready?”_

**_“You don’t even have to ask.”_ **

He breathed in slowly, taking in the smell of smoke. He lit up the entire area around him orange, his eyes pulsing red and his fangs and claws bared. He was covered in an orange aura, like a protective shield. His heart was pounding fast. This was it, this was all going to end here.

Sasuke smirked, positioning himself with his sword pointing straight at Naruto’s chest.

“I was wondering when you were going to go all out.”  He commented.

Naruto bent his body lower, ready to move.

“This isn’t even close.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fight fight fight!  
> I don’t really know how good I am with fight scenes since I haven’t written one in a cool minute so we will see next chapter.


	49. Chapter 49

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before we get started, this is… really long. Think of it as the two episode special of a tv show because of how long it is. So with that in mind, enjoy! Also I took a bit to read up on good fight scenes, so I hope it shows. I really wanted this to be engaging and me not just describing every single action.

It was Sasuke that moved first, aggressively moving towards him. His sword throwing each and every direction. Naruto kept his arms raised, using Kurama to block the attacks. Each of them hit his skin, but they were more like he was getting bumped into rather than hit by a sword. With every hit sparks of orange would fly. They lit up Sasuke’s otherwise dark face, and Naruto could see the determination in his eyes, a look that he never had seen on Sasuke. Naruto kept backing up with every hit from Sasuke, him not letting up.

Back and forth they kept this up, Naruto backing away from him.

He threw an occasional punch, hitting Sasuke in his arms.

It didn’t faze him.

“Is that a butter knife?” Naruto asked, trying to anger him. The angrier he’d get the sloppier his movements would become. But Sasuke doesn’t respond, he just keeps the pace up, being unpredictable with his movements.

Naruto ducked down below Sasuke’s sword, shoving his palm forward at his chest. Sasuke jumped back.

He flew back a few feet with a decent amount of force, throwing his feet against one of the trees that covered the ground.

 ‘ _The hell-‘_

Naruto didn’t have time to process how he did it before he kicked off the tree, his momentum so fast it snapped the trunk.  

He ducked, rolling into the grass.

Sasuke couldn’t stop his momentum.  He shoved his sword into the ground to stop, causing a gash at least five feet long in the dirt. He pivoted around, coming back towards Naruto.

Naruto didn’t have time to dodge that one, and was hit in the shoulder by Sasuke’s kick.

The crack was louder than Naruto would have liked.

He didn’t just take it. He grabbed Sasuke’s leg with his other arm, slamming him into the ground.

Naruto heard the short groan from Sasuke as he hit the ground, a small crater being made around him from the impact.

 Naruto jumped back to create some space in between them, giving his shoulder a chance to heal.

Hinata felt powerless as she watched them, staring as they fought. She couldn’t get down herself, she had no way to fight him, she was forced to just observe and hope. She could tell the fire inside was slowly approaching this end of the castle, but she didn’t pay it any mind. There wasn’t anything she could do about that either. She couldn’t do anything to help her husband, to stop the fires, to get down, to get to her son- nothing. IT was a sickening feeling, realizing how helpless she was. With the gash in her leg that was still bleeding, she couldn’t walk, she couldn’t try to climb herself down, and she couldn’t even stand.

Then she remembered something. She just hadn’t used it in so long that she had almost forgotten about it.

She could heal herself. It hurt as she placed her bare and bloodied hand over the gash in her leg, burning intensely as she was focusing, but little by little, it started to heal.

Naruto watched Sasuke get up from the ground with ease, wiping the dirt off his face. He didn’t seem to have a scratch on him from hitting the ground, just a stone cold face, with eyes locked directly at him.

_“Kurama, steady increase, yeah?” Naruto told the fox._

_Too much all at once and he wouldn’t last but maybe fifteen minutes. Steadily increasing power he could go for a few hours. That was the plan right now, either wait for an opening, or tire him out until he slips up._

**_“You got it.”_ **

Naruto crouched down on all fours, feeling his muscles tense up. His body felt warm, filled with his own determination.

His eyes stared down Sasuke.

“It hurts… seeing you like this, Sasuke. To know how wrong you are, how messed up!” Naruto yelled at him. He truly felt that way too. This was his friend, or at least his body. What he was doing, his actions and words, those weren’t him.

Maybe Kurama was right, maybe Danzo did brainwash him. But wouldn’t that have stopped when Danzo was killed, heck if that was true why wouldn’t Danzo prevent Sasuke from killing him. It just didn’t make sense.

But that wasn’t Sasuke. He refused to believe it. Or at least, he didn’t want to. He wanted this to not be his doing, all this destruction. He wanted this to all just be a nightmare Sasuke or even Naruto could just wake up from, that none of it was true.

This was someone he had never met.

But Sasuke paid his words no attention, and he slowly walks over to his sword in the ground. He puts his palm around the hilt, taking it from its position in the ground.

Then Naruto moved.

Sasuke thought his eyes were going crazy, because Naruto wasn’t there anymore. He was just standing in front of him with that dumb angered and pained look on his face. But in just a second he was gone. Sasuke instinctively held his sword out in front of him to shield from anything, but that didn’t help.

It must have been from just how fast he was moving, because the force of the kick that sent him flying was incredible. He flew several meters away, breaking through two trees before just splintering the third one.

He could taste the blood in his mouth. His body splintered against the tree. It was so forceful it took seconds for his lungs to remember how to breathe. His vision was blurry. Sasuke still held tightly to the sword in his hand.

But when he looked back at where he was originally standing, Naruto still wasn’t there.

 _‘Is he really moving that fast?_ ’ Sasuke thought, trying to pry himself off the tree. He looked down at his side, seeing how his clothing was burned, scorched, from where he was hit.

“Looking for someone?” He heard Naruto say, almost appearing from nothing next to his side.

Sasuke’s eyes widened before he braced himself for another attack. He couldn’t peel his body off the tree in time.

The pain hit his chest this time, not his side. It wasn’t nearly as forceful, but it hit the rest of the way through the tree, pushing him farther into the forested area of the grounds. He landed on the ground, breaking the dirt underneath him. His head started pounding from the force, and it pained him to breathe. 

Naruto appeared next to him again, reading another kick to his back this time. He thought he made impact, knowing that he did hit Sasuke, but he didn’t move. He didn’t recoil, didn’t groan in pain.

And then Naruto felt something around his leg.

He looked down, and Sasuke had his hand wrapped around Naruto’s ankle, keeping him held in place. Naruto could smell the burning scent from Sasuke’s hand as he kept his grip.

“You aren’t… the only special one.” Sasuke told him, panting.

Suddenly Naruto was on the ground, his back hitting hard against it. It was like a split second change, dim not even seeing Sasuke move.

Sasuke was above him, still holding onto his leg, but something was different about him. He had a stream of blood coming down from his mouth, dripping down, but that was the only difference Naruto could find.

Until he looked closer.

The stream of blood wasn’t coming from his mouth at all, it was coming from his eye, just the left one.

Naruto tried to kick him in the shin with his free leg, but before he made contact, Sasuke was gone.  The leg he was holding falling firmly to the ground. Naruto knew that it wasn’t like his speed, his was actual movement. Just moving so fast that he couldn’t be seen, but with Sasuke… this was different.

This was teleportation, this was disappearing and reappearing with ease, no sort of body movement needed. Just like Danzo could do.

 _‘I figured he know how to do that… I just wish he couldn’t.’_ Naruto through, keeping his ears and eyes open, trying to find where he was.

Then he heard his voice, but still couldn’t pin point his location. It seemed to surround him, incase him. He stood up, circling the area around him for any idea.

“I found and learned anything and everything I could for this fight. When we last met I knew I was no chance against you, but now… well we’ll just see!”

Then it was a familiar feeling. A pressure being exerted around him, forcing himself to one spot. Like gravity just increased on him alone. He was unable to move. .

Then he felt one hit, at his side. Nothing powerful but just enough to be felt.

The last time he felt something like this he was able to easily break out, but this one was different. It was heavier, stronger.

Then another hit behind his knee.

And another on the shoulder.

Then he was getting hit with a barrage of punches all over his body, but he couldn’t tell where they were coming from. They weren’t hitting vital points, but they were hitting joints and tendons, causing him to collapse. Was it even Sasuke that was hitting him? Why the hell was it able to get through his shield of Kurama’s power around him?

_Just what was this?_

Naruto fell to his knees on the ground, feeling all the muscles in his body tense up to where he couldn’t even move them.

Then they changed to cuts.

Punches were replaced with small cuts that felt deep in his body. They weren’t from a sword, but more like being sliced with a needle.

He could feel his body going numb. He couldn’t see what was hitting him, let alone try to block it if he couldn’t move.

Naruto yelled in frustration.

_“Kurama! It’s now or never!” he yelled out._

**_“Are you sure?!” Kurama asked, knowing full well the boys own limits._ **

**_“_ ** _I don’t have time for questi-“_

Then the barrage stopped.

Nothing was hitting him anymore, but he still couldn’t move his muscles. He opened his eyes and realized, they weren’t surrounded by trees anymore, but they were in front of the burning castle, where the fight had started.

 _‘He… moved me?’_ Naruto thought, shifting his eyes around best he could, but it wasn’t necessary. Within seconds Sasuke was in front of him, no wind or force came along with him.

“I told her to watch me kill you.” Sasuke said, angling his sword at the back of Naruto’s neck.

Naruto strained his neck up to see Hinata laying above everything, the fire getting dangerously close to where she was.

He had to do something, else she’d be done for.

So Naruto laughed.

Sasuke glared at him, and Naruto could feel it through the back of his head.

“Sorry, I have no intention of dying.” He told him as clearly as he could.

There was a pause before everything shifted.

Sasuke felt like he couldn’t breathe. The air was thick, almost nonexistent. The pressure in the air alone was enough to stop him from moving. He couldn’t move his legs or arms, couldn’t loosen the grip on his sword, nothing.  

It was like he was using Sasuke’s own abilities against him.

So instead he was forced to watch. He saw Naruto completely change. His skin went from its normal color to a bright yellow, with black markings throughout. His clothes did the same thing to match, covering in a yellow cloak with black markings.

Then there was a boom.

It wasn’t like the ones from the explosions earlier, it was more of a muffled sound, but it was caused by an incredible wave of power that just radiated from him, causing Sasuke to fly backwards into the ground.

Naruto stood up slowly, and Sasuke could see his fierce eyes staring straight at him, the slits of his pupils like a void. They were so threatening, so demonic, even from so far away.

He moved, unseen still. But this time it was different, it was like he was encompassing him while not being anywhere in sight. A burning sensation all around him.

It burned his throat as he breathed.

Sasuke disappears, wanting to be higher up so he could see everything. He escaped a good hundred feet up, scanning the ground.

But it didn’t last long. The intense burning was up here with him.

Did he have this sort of range? It was just as strong as it was on the ground, there’s no way he could have known where he was going, all the way up here…

“Nope.” Was all he heard from behind him. He was there, with his eyes burning deep into the back of his head.

Naruto didn’t even move, he didn’t have to. It was almost like he summoned hands to do his bidding, made from immense power that surrounded him. They clasped together, knocking Sasuke back down to the ground with such speed his couldn’t even see the ground as he went.

Naruto knew that would knock him down for a good few minutes, seeing the cloud of dirt that was kicked up from his impact with the ground.

Within a matter of seconds he was next to Hinata, returning to his normal self to embrace her.

He caught her by surprise, with how fast he got to her, but the sigh of relief was quickly followed after.

She smelled like smoke, sweat, and blood but he couldn’t have cared less.

As long as she was alive.

“Damn it Hinata, you can’t keep scaring me like this.” He told her, wrapping her in his arms.

She was a crying mess, thankful that he was okay.

“I-I’m so happy y-you’re okay…” she whined out, digging her head into his chest.

He shook his head. “I should be the one saying that.”

Her body felt fragile against his own. She was dehydrated, lost too much blood, and had been through just so much in such a short amount of time he was amazed that she was even still conscious.

He wanted that moment to last forever, to be able to keep her in his arms for forever, keeping her by his side. To have her resting against him for relief and happiness.

But with the fire bellowing beneath them and Sasuke still a threat he had to take care of, he knew it couldn’t.

He scooped her in his arms, bracing himself for the jump down from the roof. Hinata held onto him around his neck, shutting her eyes as they jumped down. They landed with a thud, but nothing more. He didn’t even wince. Didn’t have to.

“How’s your leg?” he asked her, putting her down carefully. She nodded.

“It’s better… I’ve been healing it.” she explained, her voice quiet. He put his own hand over the cut, healing it much faster than she was able to. She winced at the pain, it burning more than what she was doing, but it didn’t last very long.

“You can’t walk, can you?” he asked, already knowing.

But she shook her head.

“I will… don’t worry.” She assured him, not knowing if it was true or not. Naruto looked at her worried, but he knew she was determined.

“Okay, go down to the safe room, yeah? Shikamaru is there with Boruto.” He informed, knowing she wanted to know where he was. The way her shoulders relaxed only further confirmed it.

She nodded her head in agreement, knowing it wasn’t far away. She knew that he couldn’t take her, he’d be too slow like he was now and she saw how Sasuke could just move from place to place with ease. They didn’t have that much time.

She was surprised they had this much even.  

Naruto looked back to the cloud of dust, seeing it dissipate into the air. Reluctantly, he let go of Hinata’s shoulders, watching as she staggered a bit to keep herself up, but still managed to stay standing.

“I have something to finish” he told her, going back to the state he was just in, ready to end this.

He was there in an instant, looming over the massive crater that was in the ground.

“Had enough?” Naruto yelled at him, watching as he crawled out. His arms were shaking as they supported his weight.

“I told you...” he coughed. “I’m going to kill you... I’m going to kill you, then kill her… that’s not changing.” He muttered, breathing heavy on his hands and knees.

Naruto looked at him with disgust.

“Do you honestly think that even if what you’re saying is true that this is what your brother would have wanted? You killing innocent people, all this destruction?” he asked, steeping closer to him. “This isn’t the Sasuke I know.”

Sasuke gets to his feet, staring Naruto down.

“You don’t know anything… about my brother, or about me! Quit talking like you know either one of us!” Sasuke yelled, throwing his arm behind him.

Naruto backed up, not sure what he was digging for and preferred some distance between the two.

“I may not have ever met your brother, but I know of him. Isn’t that a better way to remember him than doing this?! Going crazy?! And don’t lie to yourself saying I don’t know you!” he argued, continuing to step back.

“You didn’t know him!” He yelled out. “And you don’t know me!”

He threw something.

Naruto ducked out of the way, not knowing what it was. It looked just like a small paper ball as it went by him, and he couldn’t understand why Sasuke threw it. But Naruto wasn’t taking any chances. He backed away from it completely, his eyes never leaving it.

Then it happened.

It exploded, causing the same roaring boom that were echoing in the castle earlier. The ground shook with its vibrations, and the explosion was at least twenty feet across, causing a cloud of dirt and debris to fly around the area.

He watched in horror as the ground was completely disintegrated underneath the explosion.

 _“That must be what he was using on the castle... did he make those? Just what are they made of?!”_ Naruto thought, turning his head back to Sasuke.

Sasuke’s eye was bleeding again.

Naruto could hear a rumble in the distance.

Sasuke was in front of him within seconds, his sword firmly embedded in between his hands.

Naruto caught the sword in between his own, holding it mere inches from his face.

His blood dripped onto Naruto’s face.

“Why do you trust what you know?!” Naruto yelled at him, snapping.

“You can’t stand there and tell me to doubt myself, you don’t get that luxury! My life has revolved around my brother since before we ever met!”

Sasuke increased the force he was driving at Naruto with, getting closer to his face.

“For so long I hated him when I should’ve hated… people like you!”

The ground broke underneath them from the amount of pressure exerting from both of them. But Naruto held strong against him.

“Sasuke please… I know how you feel. To lose someone, yeah it hurts! But this? This isn’t how you should handle it!” Naruto fought back.

The rumbling continued, sounding like thunder.

Sasuke stared right at his eyes.

“You know how that feels? You never had anyone until now to know what that feels like!”

Then the few drops of rain started.

Naruto shook his head.

“You idiot, I had you! You were my friend! And looking at you now you’re nothing like you were. Maybe that friendship meant nothing to you, but it was everything to me! And to see you turn into this… that’s the same pain!”

Sasuke snarled back.

 _“Shut up!_ That’s nothing like what I feel!”

Naruto started pushing back, hearing the rain evaporate as it made contact with him.

“Sasuke how do you know what you feel when you don’t even know the truth! Do you think I would lie to you, that everyone would lie to you?” he argued, gaining footing on Sasuke.

“What about Sakura, huh? You think she would lie to you? You think she would have welcomed you in her own home with open arms if she didn’t care?! And how the hell did you repay her, huh?!”

Naruto had Sasuke underneath him now.

“You smashed into a wall! You tore up her home! You put her in a coma for two weeks! You-

“You leave her out of this!”

That was different.

His voice was different, more spiked with emotion. His eyes even seemed different, like they were filled with regret. He even gritted his teeth, like he was in pain from Naruto just mentioning her.

This was more like Sasuke.

The rain started to steady out, not hard, but enough to make Hinata’s walking even harder on her. She was trying her best to lean on what she could, any bushes, trees, anything to help her stay up. The rain just wasn’t helping.

She thought about just quitting there, she was far enough away from everything that what would it matter? Everything was aching, from her head down to her feet. Some things more than others. She felt slow, weak, and cold as she caught her breath underneath a tree.

But she knew she couldn’t. The greenhouse was in sight, just about a hundred feet away. Her son was down there and she wanted to be with him, to know he was okay. That’s the only reason as to why she didn’t just stop there. If she had to crawl, she would.

She turned her head back, looking at how far she’d walked already. The two fighting were about the size of her thumb from where she was, but she could still see their expressions, see them yelling at each other, but she couldn’t tell what they were saying.

Then she noticed the clouds above them. It was a strange thing to see, how they just swirled around both of them, like they were attracted there.

Sasuke dipped out from underneath Naruto.

Naruto tripped towards the ground from not having anything resisting him. He caught himself before he hit, turning back towards Sasuke.

“Why do you think…” Sasuke stated, quietly, “That what you know is the truth, huh?”

“I guess there’s no talking to you...” It pained Naruto to admit, but there was no way he was going to talk sense into him, to give up on all this. “I guess I’ll just have to keep fighting you until you get it.”

Then Sasuke looked up.

Naruto followed his trail, noticing the clouds above them for the first time. They were spiraling around them, centering on Sasuke. They were still high in the sky, way above either one of them. They were thundering, but no lightning ever struck.

He noticed the wind picking up as well, watching as Sasuke’s breathing keep becoming more violent.

_‘Is he doing this?’_

Naruto appears behind him, wanting to stop whatever is about to happen.

Then lightening hit.

It was hot, a burning sensation that even Naruto could feel. Too bright to look at as it crashed down, but it was gone before he could even shield his eyes completely.

But it did seem to be aimed at him.

If Sasuke really was controlling it, then either he missed, or wasn’t even aiming for him in the first place.

It was more like he was aiming at himself.

He jerked back, trying to avoid the swing from Sasuke.

He didn’t quite make it back far enough.

It just barely grazed his abdomen, scratching at his stomach. It hurt, burning as it sliced.

Naruto put his hand over the spot, holding it to heal.

 _‘What the hell? He shouldn’t be able to cut me with that…_ ’ He reasoned, looking down at his wound.

Then he actually looked at Sasuke.

 _‘You’re kidding me!?”_ Naruto jumped back as Sasuke charged at him.

He was controlling the lightning, merging over his sword, like an extra layer around it. 

He had to be more careful, this could actually hurt him. The previous sword didn’t do anything, but lightning was a new opponent.

He kept dodging, resisting the urge to block or try to catch it. He was fighting against instincts.

Naruto could feel it, this was intended to kill him. There was no hesitation in his strikes. He wasn’t going for anything glorified, no grand finale to this fight. This was it, he wanted it to end here. Any strike he would be satisfied with it being his last one.

 _‘All I have to do is get the sword out of his hand, yeah? Then make sure he can’t move._ ’ He kept repeating to himself, trying to find an opening. Maybe he could take a hit on purpose, take him by surprise. Or maybe the rain, he could use that to his advantage.

Or, he could do this.

He was gone instantly.

Sasuke kept his eyes open, and his stance was strong. He varied his movements, unpredictable.

Naruto didn’t want to kill Sasuke, he honestly couldn’t. He wanted him to pay properly for what he’d done. If Naruto was someone else, not the leader of a country, it might’ve been different. But he can’t go around killing anyone who threatens him, he had to be the example.

Right now he really hated that.

It would have been so easy. Sasuke didn’t know where he was, he could just annihilate him with a blast stronger than ten of those exploding bombs he had. But he couldn’t. He could put a knee into his neck and snapping it, but he couldn’t.

He could have forced him to endure all the pain the Sakura went through, all the pain he had put Hinata through, and then do what he did to those soldiers all those months ago… blow them to pieces.

But he couldn’t, he didn’t.

So he did what he could.

Naruto knew he had to wrap this up, his body was starting to ache.

Coming from above Sasuke, he slammed his foot down into his head, smashing him into the ground.

His sword flew, losing its electric charge once leaving Sasuke’s hand. It stumbled into the grass, nothing graceful or satisfying about it.

 There was no time between the hit and his face planting into the ground, at least not to the naked eye. He knew that would leave him out of it, not enough to kill, but enough to inhibit his speech and vision.

Sasuke was down, so it was phase two.

He took both of Sasuke wrists in his hand, feeling them burn at his touch. Sasuke yelled in pain at the feeling.

He almost regretted doing this, but Naruto was glad he did.

“Sorry, Sasuke.” Naruto muttered, putting his foot on Sasuke’s back. Whether he was sincere about it or not, Naruto still didn’t know.

He pulled, hearing the sound of his muscles cracking. He could barely hear them from the cries that Sasuke let out.

“What the hell are you doing?!” He yelled through the pain and groans.

Naruto let his arms go, watching them flop to the ground lifelessly.

“Nothing permanent.” Naruto simply put.

He could have left it at that, but he needed something more, wanted something more.

He bent over next to his left leg, and placed a hand around his ankle.

Naruto ignored the cries and pleas from Sasuke, keeping it there for as long as he wanted.

“That’s for Hinata, you bastard.” Naruto gritted.

Hinata.

Sasuke was breathing heavy, moving his head the best he could to look around. Blood was dripping into his vision, and even then it was blurry at that.

Shifting his eyes up the best he could, he looked to the roof.

She wasn’t there.

His breathing started to panic as he moved his eyes the best he could, trying to figure out where she was. The rain wasn’t helping with his blurred vision.

But even then when you’re dressed in white, it was easy to see where you are.

Then Sasuke smirked.

“What the hell do you think-“ Naruto started, but then he noticed the trial of blood leaving his eye.

Hinata looked back again, taking a moment to wipe her face from the rain. She noticed the clouds again, once more circling the sky around the two of them.

But Sasuke was on the ground, he didn’t have his sword with him this time. There was nothing for him to be aiming at except…

She saw Naruto look up, but he didn’t have time to move.

After all, lightning was too fast for him to beat.

It was bright, but Hinata couldn’t take her eyes away. He may have only been hit by lightning for a second at best…

But watching as the cloak the surrounded her husband disappeared…

And him falling to his knees and then completely against the ground…

Anyone else would have done the same thing she did.

She screamed out his name, wanting him to respond, wishing he would get back up. She craved some acknowledgement that he was okay.

But she didn’t receive that luxury.

Sasuke knew she would yell, she’d come closer to be with her husband whose life he had just taken.

He knew she was watching.

He was tired, exhausted even. Two of the same attach just like that was a huge chunk of his energy just gone.

He couldn’t put pressure on his arms to get up, it was too painful.  He struggled to his feet using his legs, and only one of them being good.

 _‘That’s… one down…’_ he stared at his old friend’s body before him, seeing him lying there, lifeless.

Then he turned to Hinata, who was still crying out his name.

_‘I can’t teleport… she’s too far away… I can’t see well enough…’_

He used his arm the best he could to dig in the pouch behind him. Breathing through his teeth to ease the pain as best he could.

 _‘But… I have one bomb left… that should work._ ’ He decided.

He carefully grabbed the clump of explosive paper, holding it as firmly as he could. His full attention on making sure this throw was perfect.

Then something grabbed his leg.

Before Sasuke could look down, he was thrown against the ground, hearing his leg snap against his hip.

“That… that really hurt…” Naruto panted, feeling all his joints being sore.

But he was alive, and on his feet.

Sasuke was breathing too hard to respond.

“But I knew if… you thought I was dead, you would get distracted.” Naruto told him, still having a grip on his leg.

He squeezed it tighter, forcing a cry from Sasuke.

“Face it… It’s over Sasuke. You know what happens now, yeah?”

Sasuke stayed silent.

“You’ll go to prison, tried with so many things you’ll need both hands to count. The biggest of course being attempted assassination.”

Still no response.

“Then… you’ll be put to death.” Naruto told him coldly, but Sasuke didn’t even seem to be paying attention to him. His eyes weren’t even towards him.

They were off to the side.

Naruto followed his gaze, and it took only a split second for him to see where he was staring.

She had just reached the edge of the greenhouse, the corner being the only thing that was visible from where they were, the rest was blocked by the crumbling castle.

In the second that Naruto had looked away from him, Sasuke raised his arm, breathing in deep to stifle the pain.

Then he threw it.

It flew across the ground so fast, this must have been more than just a plain throw. Naruto could hear Sasuke groan as he started running, knowing full well where that bomb was headed.

He yelled out her name, but what good would that do? There’s no way she could move fast enough, no way could he get to her- he was at his own limit.

Even if Sasuke’s aim was off, the explosion still hit.

The greenhouse completely tore apart, and he could see the shattered glass fly off in every direction, completely covering the area in smoke.

Naruto’s mind wasn’t on Sasuke anymore, his heart was racing too fast. He knew there was no way he could get up now with both those leg injuries.

His mind was on Hinata.

There was piles of glass, wood, soil, and plants, just everything everywhere. Some were on fire, others already soot.

Scanning, searching, tearing everything apart- he looked for her. He didn’t care about the shards of glass that dug into his hands as he pulled away boards, or the splinters or dirt under his nails.

He just wanted her.

Then he heard a cough.

He turned sharply towards the noise, making no hesitation when moving.

It was a small pile, off to the side from everything else. He pulled boards and glass off the top, feeling like his arms were dragging through time, he wasn’t moving fast enough.

He honestly thought Sasuke had done it, that she really was dead just from looking at her.

There was glass all over her legs, stabbing into them. There were cuts and gashes all along her arms and face and legs and… everything it seemed. Her eyes were closed, and her face expressionless.

That alone wouldn’t have been too bad, but the beam of wood that was straight through her thigh, crossing through almost perfectly where Sasuke hit her earlier. Completely through her.

If it wasn’t for how hard she was breathing he would have thought she was dead.

“Hinata… Hinata, Hinata, Hinata…” he kept repeating, but she didn’t respond.

She winced as he touched her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Hinata just… stay with me, okay? I… I have to get this out of y-your leg.” He told her, shaking at his own words.

She just nodded.

He placed his hand on the chunk of wood, changing his grip six times before deciding how he was going to pull it out. Most of it hadn’t gone through her, so he decided to pull from that direction.

Maybe it was because she was so tired and warn, or maybe she just couldn’t feel it, but she didn’t even react when he moved it.

It was such a disgusting feeling, pulling it out from her leg, seeing and hearing everything it was doing to her. He couldn’t even stomach to look down at the wound after he removed it. The chunk had been about two inches around, pointing at the end.

He just kept his eyes on her as he covered the gaping wound with his hand, slowly healing her.

“What… what else hurts, Hinata?” he asked her quietly.

He swore she almost laughed.

“I’m… fine.” She muttered, taking her time in between each word. She coughed.

He held her shoulders in one arm, his hand slowly working on her leg, trying to do something to fix it while he can.

“Please just…” she started weakly, catching her breath. “Just take me to him… okay?” she asked, trying to put her hand on his chest.

“I will, I promise I will, just a little longer.” He told her, increasing the rate of which he was healing her leg. The faster he went, the more pain it’d be.

He shot a glance over to Sasuke, who was still laying on the ground, motionless. It looked like he had finally given up.

“Naruto please… please take me…” she kept repeating, not taking his answer. It was painful to listen to, painful to watch. She coughed again, weakly. Her eyes looked so tired, and there were small streaks of blood running down her face. She acted so desperate, and Naruto knew she was.

He figured her leg was good enough.

“Okay, okay, I’m going to pick you up, alright?” he told her, putting his hand under her knees. Her arms shook as she tried to wrap them around his neck.

The door was completely blown off, revealing to most just a small area for extra storage. It was cold, dark, and damp on the inside. A few debris from the above explosion had made their way down.

He put the code into the door, knowing full well it’d open.

Shikamaru had taken the lamp with him, so he navigated everything in the dark, it was hard not being able to see the locks as he tried to open the two more doors in front of them while still holding Hinata in his arms, but he did it.

Shikamaru’s face changed from scared to relieve to worry all in a matter of seconds as he saw the door open. He didn’t know how long he’d been down here, but a familiar face was relieving.

Just the condition of who he was holding was not.

Shikamaru jumped up from the small chair he was in, rushing over to the both of them.

“What the-“ He started loudly, but caught himself remembering the sleeping kid just feet away from them.

He lowered his voice.

“What the hell happened to her?” he asked, trying to think of some way to help.

Naruto just shook his head.

“Please… just let her lay down. “ He told Shikamaru, walking slowly past him to the bed that Boruto was laying on.

Hinata turned her head down towards him, her face instantly becoming brighter as she looked at him, her arms out-stretched towards him.

Naruto laid her down, watching as she placed her hand around Boruto’s sleeping face. He stayed next to her, keeping an arm on her shoulder.

“You were so brave, yeah?” she whispered to him, her voice weak. “So strong, just like Dad.”

It hurt to let his hand leave her, but he couldn’t stay down here much longer.

Shikamaru stood at the edge of the small bed, making eye contact with Naruto as he stood to full height.

“Shikamaru, I need you to watch over them for just a bit longer.” Naruto tells him, not even stopping as he walked by.

“Wait, you’re going back out there? What’s even going on?” Shikamaru tried to interject, but Naruto just kept walking.

“I have something left to take care of.”

…………………………………

The rain was causing more smoke from the fire as it slowly started dying. The rain was falling just enough to make his torn clothing stick to his body. They already were starting to from the sweat, but at least this felt more refreshing.

Sasuke hadn’t moved. The pain from his arms, his legs, everywhere- it finally started to sit in and it was impossible to even move. He just laid there with his eyes closed, letting the rain hit him.

He knew he had lost.

Maybe he simply just wasn’t powerful enough, maybe he underestimated his opponent still. Or maybe he had something Sasuke never had that made him strong. Was it something he was born with? Or was is something given to him?

Was it friendship? Or even beyond that? Was it love? His willingness to protect those he cared for?

Sasuke should have that same power. He had a love for his brother, so why did he not have that same strength? He was smart, able to create and to read in languages long forgotten. He trained for so long, learned so many new things and sacrificed his life. Why wasn’t he on the same level as Naruto?

Why wasn’t he the one standing over Naruto?

The mud splashed onto Sasuke’s face as Naruto stopped walking, ingraining himself into the soil.

He leans over Sasuke, grabbing him by the collar. Naruto’s hands were hot, covered in blood that Sasuke was sure wasn’t his.

Then their eyes locked, having their own conversation. Just displaying emotion was enough.

Naruto’s were fierce as always. Anger, rage, betrayal, pain, loss, even defeat were all readable from just his eyes alone. Sasuke felt something different from this look. Every other time that their eyes had met there had always been something else, something missing from him now.

Ah, determination. That was it.

He had always been determined. When he was younger he was determined to have recognition and acknowledgement. He was always determined to rise above what life gave him.

But now that was gone, clouded over with every other emotion.

Naruto punched him.

Sasuke couldn’t even hold his face to alleviate the pain, he couldn’t move his arms. His head started to hurt immediately from the impact. It was short, yet still so powerful.

“That… is for ruining my home.” He panted. He was tired and angry and yet still wasn’t satisfied.

He punched him again.

“That’s for working with Danzo.”

Another punch.

“That’s for hitting me with lightning.”

Another.

“That’s for Sakura!”

Naruto could feel Sasuke’s blood on his fist.

“That’s for Hinata!”

He took a moment, looking at Sasuke’s bloodied face. It was expressionless.

“And this…” he punched.

“Is for even _daring…” punch_

 _“_ To mess with. My. Family!”

He didn’t really know how long he sat there with his knees in the mud, punching at Sasuke’s face. Maybe it was just a few seconds, maybe minutes even. He didn’t stop because of the rain, he didn’t stop when he heard other people approaching, he didn’t stop until someone pulled him away, his own fists raw.

“Naruto, stop it! Get a hold of yourself!” someone yelled at him. He recognized the voice, but he care.

“Let me go!” He kept yelling, fighting against whoever it was holding him back. A separate team went to Sasuke’s side, starting to ask him questions, and yelling at others who approached the scene.

“Calm down, brat! It’s over!” he heard as his arms started to feel heavy. His feet started giving out and the force that was pulling him back seemed to get more ground on him the more they continued.

He tried to catch his breath.

“Naruto, Naruto look at me. Where is Hinata? Where is Boruto?” they asked, finally having the opportunity to.

It was Tsunade. She looked about as tired as he did, with her eyes hazy and dark. She must have been leading the evacuation of the surrounding area, making sure whatever was going on here didn’t affect anyone else.

“They’re with Shikamaru… in the shelter…” he breathed out, feeling his own eyes drooping. But he still stayed alert.

One of the people from the team Tsunade brought with her came running over to the two of them.

“What would you like us to do with him?” he asked, not commenting on the poor state everything else was in.

Tsunade turned her head over to Naruto, waiting for his answer first.

His expression turned cold.

“Do what you want with him… he has no mercy from me.”

With that, he turned.

Tsunade watched as he started walking, slowly but surely towards the destroyed greenhouse. Tsunade didn’t even want to ask right now what had happened.

“Wrap him up. I don’t want a single finger loose on him. Then throw him in a prison cell for keeping. Completely locked. Treat any major injuries, then chain him.” Tsunade explained, backing up to follow Naruto.  She waited until the worker nodded in understanding before fulling turning around to catch up with him.

“Are they both alright?” Tsunade loudly asked, closing the distance between the two of them.

Naruto just shook his head.

“Boruto is fine… but…” he didn’t finish. Tsunade didn’t want to pry, but she also wanted to know what to expect.

“And Hinata?” Tsunade regretfully asked.

“I… I don’t even know.” He answered truthfully.

Sure he knew she was in bad shape, but as far as truly how much she was in danger, he just didn’t know. If she hadn’t been in labor for eight hours or if she hadn’t been stuck on top of a burning building, breathing in smoke for who knows how long, or if she hadn’t have been caught in an explosion maybe she would have been fine.

So that was the best he could do.

He let Tsunade open the door, not wanting to be in her way. He followed in two steps behind her, not shocked when she gasped at her condition. As much as he wanted to be next to her, he would have just gotten in the way.

Tsunade almost didn’t even notice the small child lying next to her, completely unharmed. She was so dirty and tattered that he seemed to just blend in with everything else.

“Naruto, take the baby.” She told him, wanting to readjust Hinata. He nodded, gladly doing something to help.

“She fell asleep almost immediately after you left.” Shikamaru explained, folding his arms across his chest.

Tsunade started saying her name, needing her awake.

“She shouldn’t have been moving this much, I mean her body is so-“

“You think I don’t know that? I didn’t really have a choice!” he whispered, yelling still at the same time.

Tsunade sighs, but stops her statement.

“Don’t… don’t blame him.” Hinata told Tsunade, her voice weak and drowsy.

Tsunade shook her head.

“Don’t worry, I’m not.”

Naruto sits down on the bed across the small and dark room, leaning his back against the frame. Boruto stirs against him, moving his arms around. Naruto bent his knees, placing Boruto against his thighs.

It was then he realized his son was looking at him. His own eyes meeting his.

They were intensely blue, just like his own. They blinked every few seconds, his small eyelashes beating fast. He looked around happily, completely unaware of everything that had happened above him.

For the first time in what felt like days, he smiled.

“Shikamaru, water.” Tsunade snapped from the other side of the room.

Naruto didn’t want to look at what she was doing, he didn’t want to know. It was painful enough to just hear. She kept coughing and her breathing was hoarse and loud. Whatever Tsunade used that water for caused her enough pain to muffle a shriek.

Boruto grabbed at the finger Naruto placed in front of his hand, his own fingers not even able to wrap around it completely.

Tsunade ripped off the fabric of her pant, soaking it in the leftover water. She used it to start taking out the small glass shards on the back of her legs and arms.

Minutes went by before any of them spoke again. There was nothing to talk about.

With a grunt, Tsunade stood up, washing her hands off with the little water she had left. She whispered something to Hinata.

Then she came over to him, sitting in one of the small, wooden chairs.

“What about you?” she asked.

Naruto shook his head. “I’m fine, just take care of her.”

Tsunade sighed, leaning back in the small chair.

“You’re lucky, you know that? That leg injury she has was just an inch from hitting her main artery. It’ll take a good few months before she is able to walk on it again with how… mangled it is… but she’ll survive. The large incisions by the glass will take time to heal too, but nothing that can’t be fixed over time. As for everything else… She just needs a good bath and rest. Plenty of it.”

Naruto stayed silent, letting Boruto still have his finger in his grasp.

Tsunade put a hand on his knee.

“With only getting out of that with a bad leg injury, a few cuts and bruises, blood loss, and just aching muscles…. It could have been a lot worse”

She breathed deep, using his knee to get off her chair.

“You did well, she’ll be fine.”

...

He was crying.

It was silent, dripping from his eyes rapidly. How long had he been crying? Surely he just started. He saw them dripping onto the blanket that wrapped around Boruto. His small free hand was reaching up, almost like he was trying to catch the falling drops.

“Y-your Mom went through a lot to make sure you were safe, ya know?” he murmured, knowing Boruto couldn’t understand him.

Naruto leaned his head down, touching his own forehead to his son’s. He was warm, and the small tufts of hair on his head grazed against his father’s.

“You’re lucky… to have a Mom like her.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took… a million years to write. Like every single day I would work on it, but id maybe only get two paragraphs done? Part of it being I’ve just been so busy at work since we went from 4 people to 3, part of it being just I didn’t know how to write what I was trying to go for. Plus I’m not good at fight scenes. I read about how to write them but I still don’t even know.   
> When’s the next chapter? I don’t know, eventually? Probably tomorrow. Maybe the day after.


	50. Chapter 50

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of these days I’ll pick a unit of measurement and stay with it. But for now I’m just going to keep flipping from meters to feet and back again until I figure out which I like better. I know feet more but centimeters are much smaller than inches and are good for close interactions just UGH. Measurements.

Everything had to be rebuilt.

There was barely anything salvageable from the crumbling, barely standing place they used to call home. Most of it was unimportant to both of them, so it didn’t really feel like a loss. The clothing that was still in ‘good condition’ was forever stained with a charred and smoke-covered smell.

It wasn’t until the rain had ended on that night that they truly saw the damage of everything. There was only one wall still standing, and even then it wasn’t as tall as it used to be. Maybe only twenty feet up, compared to its original height of at least one hundred.  There were a few things that didn’t get destroyed, like the horse stables and the training grounds, but everything else was completely ruined.

He was glad they hadn’t stayed in it.

There was no doubt a huge commotion in the city, since they had been evacuated without much of a reason. They could hear plenty that was going on with the explosions happening in the distance, but they couldn’t see anything. Once the sun broke, Sasuke was locked up, they could see all the damage that was done. They saw the burnt and ruined castle that always stood proud in the city, the King of their country completely torn apart, bruised, bloodied, trying to calm everyone down. And of course, no sign of Hinata.

He was thankful that Tsunade gave a more formal report of the situation, at the time he didn’t think he could stomach reliving everything that happened in front of hundreds the few thousand that lived in the city.

They obviously couldn’t live there. There were no beds, no roof even.

Once Tsunade had Hinata cleaned up completely, the dirt and grime off of her, her legs completely stitched up, and changed into something that wasn’t completely tattered, they left. It was later in that same day that they departed from the city, taking the two hour long journey to a much smaller home two hours outside the city.

The house’s main purpose was in situations like this, where they couldn’t live in castle for whatever reason. Sometimes it was used as a vacation home, just to get away from everything for a day or two. Other times it was offered as a location for other royalty to stay if they needed.

The trip was two hours there, and neither Hinata nor Boruto were awake for any of it. Hinata was barely awake at all since everything happened, only being up when she needed to be. Naruto didn’t even know if she remembered the time she was awake, her not being very responsive to anything. He knew it wasn’t voluntary, her body just needed sleep to get better. He had gotten a few hours before they departed, which only made him feel more tired.

And babies just sleep a lot, he found out. They sleep all the time. If they aren’t asleep they’re either crying for something, or laughing at something. As for the two hour trip, he was grateful that Boruto decided to sleep.

Shikamaru also came with them. Mainly because he thought they needed someone who wasn’t completely warn out with them. Secondly, he lived in the castle too, his hometown being too far away. He had nowhere to stay either.

It was maybe noon the next day before Hinata fully woke up, completely conscious. She had woken up every so often where she dipped in and out of remembering what happened. But this one she was completely awake, aware of her surroundings,

And these surroundings weren’t what she expected.

She sat up quickly, regretting the action immediately. She let out a sharp and quick cry, feeling the wave of pain rush over her body, her own joints aching and her skin cold.

She looked around the room, trying to remember everything that happened. She recalled quite clearly everything until she finally saw her son again. She remembered falling asleep, but after that it was just hazy. The room looked… familiar. The patterns on the walls, and the quilt on the bed were familiar, but she didn’t know why. The ceilings were much lower compared to the castle, and the colors were much more vibrant, making the room feel warm and cozy. She liked it, but still wasn’t sure of where she was.

Then her eyes adjusted to the windows, being able to see outside them. She was up on the second floor, seeing a river a few hundred feet off from where they were.

She remembered that river, and that view.

This was their vacation home.

She had only been here when their mother was around, she loved coming here. After she died father never came out here, being too focused on his work. Hinata had forgotten about the place. She also never stayed in this room, this was the master bedroom. She and Hanabi always stayed downstairs.

She turned her head at the end table next to her, noticing the small paper that solely occupied its surface. She went to grab it, but stopped once the door opened. She paused, turning her head towards the small crack.

She knew it was him, his eyes were so distinguishable.

Once Naruto realized she was fully awake, he opened the door without hesitation. He fought back the urge to hug her, run over and embrace her, relieved that she was truly conscious for the first time in over a day.

But he didn’t. He walked calmly over to her, a smile on his face, taking a seat near her on the bed.

“I heard you from downstairs… you okay?” he asked, putting his hand over hers.

She nodded slowly.

“Yeah, I just got up too fast.”

Then she hugs him.

He was scared to hug her back at first, not wanting to hurt her more than she already was, but finally being able to hold her again overwhelmed him, and he wrapped his arms ever so gently around her.

“Are you okay?” she asked, her voice soft.

He nodded. His face burying into her shoulder.

“I’m just fine, don’t worry about me.” he replied quietly. “Just worry about yourself.”

She couldn’t help but laugh as his comment.

“I’m not worried about me, I’ll be fine.” She told him honestly. Sure, it’d take time for her to be completely healed, but nothing to worry about.

“I know…” he started, pulling his head away from her. “I just hate when you’re hurt… I feel like I could have done something more-“

Hinata interrupted him.

“If I was married to anyone else, I’d be dead.” She told him bluntly.

He blinked at her a few times, not liking the use of the word ‘dead.’ But she did have a point. Sasuke was after her specifically, not him. Regardless of whether he was in the picture or not, Sasuke still would have gone after her.

He relaxes into a smile, thankful for her words.

“So…” she starts, changing the subject. “Where’s Boruto?”

Naruto lets out a small laugh. “He’s downstairs with Shikamaru, you want me to get him?” he asked, already knowing her answer.

“If you would…” she answered, smiling at him.

It was a weird feeling. They made an actual other person. There was no more ‘when the baby is here’, it’s already happened. She was able to see her feet again, to lay on her side, and yet all she wanted to do was have their son in her arms.

Naruto left to go grab him, and Hinata turned her attention back to the paper on the nightstand. She took it in her hand and unfolded it, seeing that it was handwritten.

_“Hinata,_

_Shikamaru told me that we couldn’t stay up here with you all day, and forced us to come downstairs. I’ll be back to check on you soon so DON’T GET OUT OF BED!  Tsunade’s orders… mine too._

_Love you,_

_Naruto”_

She had to laugh at his signature. Completely illegible and so perfectly him. His handwriting had gotten drastically better from when they first met, but it was like his signature never changed. It wasn’t fancy by any means, it was just how he wrote his name.

The door opened again and Hinata felt her heart swell as she put down the paper, reaching her arms out.

“There’s not even a scratch on him.” Naruto tells her, exchanging him.

He smiles, laughing as Hinata takes him, folding her arms gently around his small body. She kisses his nose, his chin, his cheeks, forehead, his little arms and hands- everything. Boruto keeps making a cooing sound, grasping for her hair as it slowly falls off her shoulder.

“Dad did a good job of protecting you, yeah?” she asked Boruto, knowing he would just continue to make bubbly noises.

She heard a soft chuckle from her husband.

“If it wasn’t for you then I wouldn’t have even gotten the chance to.” He honestly replied.

Her plan worked, leaving her behind. He hated to admit it, but it worked.

Hinata’s face turned colder, the smile fading slightly as she stared off.

Naruto tilted his head into her view.

“You okay?” he asked, confused at the change.

“Yeah, just what happened to him?” Hinata asked.  Naruto knew full well who ‘him’ was.

“Well… he’s Tsunade’s.”

…………………………

Sasuke felt like he could see his breath he was so cold.

He knew the room wasn’t cold, the floor was fine, the chains that bound him weren’t freezing, the air was cool, but not cold.

It was June yet his body felt like he was stuck in a snowstorm.

The stone wall of the room were close together, and the ceiling hung low. A small, single light was in the center of the room. He didn’t even know if it worked. No one that had come in had even bothered using it. There was a small table pressed firmly against the wall, far out of Sasuke’s reach. Even if he could extend his arm, it was still out of grasp.

He admit defeat, he knew that fight he didn’t win. He was willing to live with that. Is that what made him feel cold? To make him shiver with every breath? Surely not. Was it the pure feeling of being defeated? Like all the work and sacrifices he made had been for nothing if he was just so willing to accept that he lost so easily? Maybe that was it.

Or was it regret?

Did he regret attacking them, regret the feeling of hate that had festered in him for so long? Regret kidnapping Inoichi’s daughter? Killing those soldiers? Working with Danzo? Killing Hiashi?

Hurting Sakura?

The door opened suddenly. Quickly and without hesitation.

It was that woman, Tsunade.

She looked angry, she looked fuming and upset and like she wanted to kill him- all just in her eyes. The rest of her was completely calm. Her muscles were relaxed, her face was calm, and her hand was gently placed on her hip, the other was holding a folder. Sasuke looked at her the best he could with his head hung low.

“So…” she started, strongly asserting her tone. “Naruto told me you did this all out of revenge for your brother, that true?”

Was that true? Sasuke didn’t answer.

Tsunade waited for a moment before continuing.

“This,” she held up the folder. “This is the file we have on your brother, Itachi… in case you were in the mood for reading.” She placed the folder up against the small table in the room, walking over towards him.

“You can do what you want with that information, but I’ll let you know that I worked with your brother, you know that? Before I had this position I was just a soldier like you were. From those interactions I had with him, I would say the information in there is pretty accurate, sounding like something he would do.” Tsunade explained, stopping with her feet right in front of him.

“Who told you what you thought? That he was forced to death? That his life was just thrown away?” Tsunade asked sternly.

“… Danzo.”

Just saying his name made Sasuke’s head hurt, made him feel colder. What was wrong with him?

“He… he showed me files, papers, orders with signatures and seals… I’m sure just like the ones in there.” Sasuke explained, elaborating on the details.

“You realize that Danzo could have faked those, he was a master of manipulation, he-“

“You don’t think I know that now?” Sasuke yelled. He didn’t know where the anger came from. Maybe she had hit a nerve Sasuke didn’t know he had. His head started hurting more.

Tsunade stayed quiet.

“… Listen, your brother is dead. That’s a fact we both know. And regardless of what you believe is true or not, what you did is punishable by death.”

Sasuke knew that, he had accepted it.

Tsunade crouched down next to him, grabbing the collar of the clothing they had given him.

It wasn’t as tattered as what he had been wearing, but only just.

“But before that, I need to know something.” She told him, forcing Sasuke to look at her.

“What did you do to her? Sakura. That night.” She sharply asked, making the pauses in between her words just as loud as she was speaking.

“I… what do you mean?”

“Don’t play dumb with me. She told me everything. How you persuaded her into letting you into her home, how you beat her, how you played with her emotions mentally, and physically.”  She seethed.

He understood why she would be mad, but it felt strange that she would be this mad over Sakura, and not what he had done after that. What he did to Hinata and Naruto she hadn’t even mentioned, it was Sakura that she was worried about. He knew that she was her pupil, but this… it seemed a bit much.

“She told me you were different. That you acted like you really had changed, that you were genuine with your words, that when you touched her, when you…” Tsunade stopped, biting her tongue.

“She felt truly that you loved her.” she finished.

Sasuke kept his eyes locked on her, accepting how her every word hurt him. It made his head pound just thinking about that night. He wished that it would have stayed the way it was, that he never started to question her, asking for information.

Why did he do that again?

He didn’t know.

Sasuke went there with the intention to get information out of her, by any means possible. But when he heard her voice, when he saw her green eyes staring at him, it just changed. She cared for him, she didn’t judge him. He felt… different. He felt loved for the first time in who knows how long.

Sasuke knew that she had feeling for him, it was obvious. But he just never knew why, never bothered to go down that path. But seeing how she still cared after all he had done, who he was…

It made him wonder what would have happened to him if he had just accepted Sakura’s feelings from the start.

Then she said something…

“I need to know if that’s true. If what you did with her and what you said to her… was that real?”

Tsunade’s eyes were like fire, a brown amber that looked like it could burn.

“… Yes.”

That was the easiest thing for him to say. Not because it would get her to let his collar go, but it was the answer he knew he wanted to say. The right one.

She kept her gaze for a few moments longer, making Sasuke question her motives. Was that not the answer she wanted?

Regardless he would stand by it.

Tsunade threw his collar down with a sharp exhale.

Sasuke didn’t know why he started breathing so hard. The harsh cold feeling in his lungs didn’t help.

“That’s just more work for me…” she mumbled, picking up the folder from its temporary home on the table.

She tossed it on the ground, opening as it fell in front of Sasuke.

“So you can have something to read.” She breathed out, turning towards the door.

Sasuke’s eyes avoided the pages like the plague, not wanting to read them.

Tsunade reached for the door handle, gripping it tightly before she opened the door.

……………

“Absolutely not.” They both said in unison.

They both were staring dumbfounded at the proposition they had just heard from Tsunade. She came out later in the evening, wanting to stay the night and check up on Hinata’s wounds. Naruto and Hinata both welcomed her, Shikamaru as well.

Naruto had just put Boruto to sleep in the room next door when Tsunade wanted to talk to the two of them. They both felt tired, planning to take a nap just like Boruto, but…

What she wanted to talk about was a complete surprise.

“I know I’m asking something that…. I didn’t ever think I would ask. But… he was manipulated, controlled even, he… I can’t say for sure if he was brainwashed but the changes in his emotions make it seem like he is! We can’t just put him to death for something he couldn’t control.” She huffed, knowing how ridiculous she was sounding.

“What if he isn’t, what if… what if he’s just playing you, playing all of us?” Naruto debated with her, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

“I’m not saying that he’s going to walk away like he did nothing, but at least let him go through rehabilitation, let him at least try to get better.” Tsunade tried to fight back. “He could be a great asset to us, you know?”

Hinata just shook her head. “He tried to kill us, he did kill people! He… he killed my father and you want me to just forgive him?” she asked, knowing she shouldn’t be getting this worked up.

“He was manipulated! He was presented with all information that was false all at once, and we know how Danzo worked his way next to your father, to you, he could easily have done something to him.” Tsunade kept going.

But they both just shook their heads.

“Tsunade… he threatened my family, he did all this to Hinata, he destroyed our home, killed people. If we let him go then everyone will think they can do the exact same thing and get away with it just fine.” Naruto argued.

Tsunade stared at him.

“You could have easily been in this position, you know that?” Tsunade bluntly said.

“What are you talking about?”

“You don’t think that Danzo could have used your parents to accomplish the same thing that he did with Sasuke? Hell it would have been easier since you were already alone. If he knew what kind of power you had back then I’m sure that he would have done everything he could have to get you on his side. This could have been your life we’re talking about.”

HE didn’t know what to say. The scowl on his face didn’t change, but he had nothing to argue back.

He knew she was right. For so long in his life he knew he would have believed it. He would have been so desperate for someone to tell him who he was, what had happened, and he would have thought it true until… who knows when.

He gritted his teeth.

Hinata saw the look on his face, taking his silence as him knowing it was true.

“Tsunade I still don’t… I don’t think it’s a good idea.” Hinata had to admit. He was just too unpredictable to let loose.

“I’m not saying that he gets to walk out like nothing happened. Even if he is doing this out of his own free will, he needs to be kept alive. We can keep him in solitary confinement for the rest of his life.”

“Why in the world do we have to keep him alive?” Naruto almost laughed at her.

Tsunade bit her cheek, not knowing how to phrase what she needed to tell them. She probably should have started with it, but just didn’t know how to even start the conversation like that without them getting the wrong idea.

Heck, Hinata didn’t even know what really happened that night still.

“Listen, you remember that night that Sakura was attacked?” she asked, and both of them nodded.

“I talked to him about it, I asked him about that night. About how he told her he loved her and how Sakura truly felt it was genuine, and how she still did.” Tsunade started, and she could see the confused look on Hinata’s face, but she knew she wouldn’t interrupt. 

“And I asked him what he felt, if he felt the same way. If he truly meant everything he said and did to her until he shifted… and the way he told me ‘yes’ it was like… there was no way he could have faked that.” Tsunade explained, sighing as she said it.

“But why does that matter, that doesn’t mean we have to keep him alive?”  Naruto questioned.

Tsunade just sighed again.

“Sakura didn’t tell you all the details of that night, did she?” Tsunade grunted as she stood up, feeling her knees ache. She was too old for this.

“What do you mean? She told me all she thought she needed to.” He answered.

“But not everything that happened.” Tsunade chimed, walking past them, towards the door. “I’m going to make a drink, feel free to join Me.” she changed the subject. “We can talk about this later.” 

She turned out the door, leaving it cracked as she started down the hall.

Hinata started talking immediately.

“She talked to you? I thought you said that she was so out of it she couldn’t!” Hinata huffed, upset that he lied.

Naruto laid down on his back, facing up towards the ceiling. He rubbed his eyes with his palms, head hurting from the conversation.

“I wasn’t about to tell you everything and worry you even more when you were in the middle having a baby, ya know?” he explained calmly. “And I just hadn’t had a good chance since.”

Hinata, while upset, understood. She probably would have done the same thing in his position.

“Well… you can tell me now.” She told him, resting her back against the pillows she had.

Naruto shook his head.

“I mean Tsunade told you most of what happened” he started with a sigh

“He came to her wanting someone to help him and he didn’t know who else would give him the time of day. He manipulated her into letting him into her home and they spent time together, just like they used to. Then at some point she mentioned us and he started acting differently, questioning her for information. She tried to run away and then they fought, she was knocked unconscious. He tore through her stuff looking for anything useful, and then left.” He summarized, not caring for much detail.

Hinata didn’t want to hear much of the detail either. 

“That… sounds terrible. I know how much she loves him.” Hinata replied, feeling how dry her mouth was.

“That’s the worst part, he even told her that _he_ loved her.” he huffed, folding his hands behind his head.

Hinata watch as he closed his eyes. But something didn’t sit right with her.

“He said that to her?”

He nodded. “Multiple times”

“Really?”

“She said something about how he made her feel loved and wanted or something… a lot has happened since I talked to her, I don’t remember too well.” He admitted.

The bed underneath him made him feel like taking a nap. Boruto had the right idea.

But that changed very quickly.

Hinata kept replaying it in her head. How Sakura felt loved and wanted just by spending a few hours with him. Her mind kept drawing the same conclusion, the same thought kept popping up.

“You don’t think… when Tsunade said that she didn’t tell you everything, Sakura and Sasuke… you know…”

Naruto opened one eye at her.

“Know what?”

 She balled her hands into loose fists, pouting slightly.

“Oh, don’t make me say it!” she whined, ashamed she even thought of it.

“Say what?” he looked at her, confused. What would make her so uncomfortable saying Sakura and Sasuke had done while they were together, alone, saying they loved each other….

Wait.

Naruto jolted upright, coming to the same conclusion that Hinata did.

“Y-you don’t think…” he started, not wanting to say it either.

“I mean, it just seems like something she wouldn’t tell you! And and if it’s true, then what if… I don’t even want to think about it.” Hinata started, ending with her head resting on the back of the bedframe.

Naruto got up quickly, reaching for the door. He didn’t even bother to shut it as he yelled for Tsunade while pounding down the stairs.

Hinata could yeah vaguely what the conversation going on downstairs was. She knew she heard Naruto reacting to what Tsunade was telling him, saying things like “you can’t be serious,” only further confirming her suspicions.

She put a hand to her forehead, thinking of what they were going to do. She couldn’t just let Sasuke get away with everything he had done, it wouldn’t be right as a leader, but…

For both Sasuke’s sake, Sakura’s sake, and whoever else there was, she hoped he really was sick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remeeeeember how I was debating adding something in or not a few 5 or 6 chapters ago? Yeaaaaaah that was this. Did I do it to make Sarada and Boruto be the same ago? Maybe. There are plenty of other reasons why I did it to, but REGARDLESS  
> This is going to turn into another 20 chapters or anything like that, we only have two/three chapters left! So keep reading, reviewing, all that jazz.


	51. Chapter 51

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A chapter’s a chapter, no matter how small… or big. AUTHOR NOTES.

“What the hell happened to him?”

Tsunade didn’t know how she got there so fast, but within two hours of receiving the message, she was back in the city, back at the prison, currently sticking a needle in the thigh of the number one criminal in their entire country.

“We don’t know! All of a sudden he started screaming and yelling… started convulsing!” one of the guards said.

The guards stormed the room as soon as he started screaming. They could see the pain on his face, but he couldn’t respond to any of their questions. He started trashing, and the guards didn’t know if he was trying to break the chains or just trying to get relief for whatever was going on. One of the guards tried to hold him down, but even the heaviest one couldn’t stop his movements.

They called for several other doctors first, but none could figure out what was happening to him either. They tried giving him medicine, but couldn’t get close enough to him to administer it. The guards would try to hold him down, but even then they couldn’t hold him down long enough for them to penetrate his clothing, and then skin, to get the medicine in his body.

Currently he laid unconscious against the stone room floor, and Tsunade could see the sweat that beaded down his face. He didn’t pass out because of anything she had done to him, it was an affect from whatever happened to him. He had maybe been out for ten minutes before Tsunade arrived. They decided to wait for Tsunade, her having the most expertise of any medical personnel.

The medicine she had put together was supposed to steady his heart rate and numb any pain. It should also send a charge through his body to wake him up- but depending on just what happened that might not work. The vile slowly emptied, making its way through his blood stream.

Tsunade looked around the room, but found nothing that could have triggered this. There was nothing new. The table against the wall hadn’t moved, the light was never turned on, no one came in or left the room since she had left. His body had no signs of something breaking his skin, in case this was poison. Maybe this was all just some freak accident.

The papers she had thrown for him to look at were still there, still spread in a pile in front of him, not touch, not moved. The pages were out in the same order she remembered. Most were still in the folder, but a few had fallen out. On the bottom was his records sheet- his age, test scores, death date, assignments, all of that. Above it were a few reports that had he had written after a few of the assignments, as was necessary for most. Only two were completely visible. Nothing looked out of the ordinary.

Then Sasuke’s breathing picked up again. He was gasping, and Tsunade backed away from him.

He had a coughing fit, and if her arms were able to move Tsunade was sure he would have been grasping his chest. Sasuke’s body curled into itself the best he could, like he was protecting his core.

It took minutes before his breathing started to stabilize, him taking normal sized breaths. His eyes were still closed, and his hands were clenched into fists around his back. He groaned with a few of his breaths.

“Sasuke…” Tsunade approached cautiously, making her way in front of him.

He didn’t verbally respond to her, but nodded his head best he could.

“What happened?” she bent at her knees, being closer to his eye level.

This time Sasuke shook his head.

“I… don’t know.” He put it weakly. “But my head… it won’t stop pounding…” he breathed heavily. “What’s… what’s going on?”

“What were you doing?” she continued to question.

It took him a moment to respond, still catching his breath.

“…reading.” He answered, moving his head in the direction of the files on the floor.

Tsunade turned her head towards them, looking them over again just like she had before. Nothing out of the ordinary. Tsunade grabbed the folder.

She stood up with them, reading over the pages in detail while Sasuke recovered from whatever happened to him.

The reports looked like normal reports to her, no weird verbiage or spelling, nothing seemed to stick out.

“Were you reading this while it happened? Or reading this caused it?”

Sasuke was almost back to normal- as normal as he could be.

“I don’t know… But when you just have three pages to read for hours… you start to notice things.” He explained, almost ashamed of his answer.

Tsunade looked closer at the page, trying to figure out what he meant. She was looking for a pattern, a quirk in the writing.

But thankfully Sasuke helped her.

“Look at all the double lettered words- bottom, eerie, illegal- all those words.” Sasuke started. “You… notice anything?” he asked

It took a moment, but it clicked as soon as she saw two of them.

The last letters were all missing in the words.

Not missing like he forgot them, but it was more like his handwriting was stylized to not include them. Just reading over the word you wouldn’t have noticed, since the lines look like they were completed, but in reality they weren’t.

She yelled for the guards, asking for them to bring her something, and paper and pencil/pen/marker/anything.

Tsunade then took out another repot, noticing the same thing. Then another, then another, then another.

“They’re all like this…” she muttered.

“Doesn’t surprise me. Itachi loved making puzzles, putting riddles together. He would… put them together for me to solve.”

The guards brought her a pad of paper and a pen.

She started writing.

She took the last letter of every one of those words, combining them together. The entire report seemed to flow so well, nothing out of the ordinary, that Itachi must have planned the entire report around them.

_MY BROTHER IM SORRY_

That was the first one.

This was the final report, the last one he ever turned it. She turned her head to Sasuke.

“Now do the other one.” He told her.

Tsunade noticed how different he was acting. There was more emotion in his voice, more regret. He was talking more than she had ever heard him.

She worked on the code.

_MAYBE NEXT TIME_

She turned her head to the side, not fully understanding. She thought it would have been something… heavier. Something near life changing, but it wasn’t.

She mumbled it, turning her head back to Sasuke.

“It probably doesn’t feel that way to you, but when I figured it out, when I read it… it felt like something snapped. Then my head started pounding and,” he paused. “Here we are.’

Wait.

Where was he?

Oh that’s right, in jail.

Wait, why was he in jail again?

Why couldn’t he remember?

Tsunade walked over to him, setting the other reports to the side.

“Sasuke… I need to run some tests on you.”

………………………………..

Tsunade spent the next two months working with Sasuke. Hinata and Naruto agreeing to put a stand still on his prosecution until Tsunade could bring them results. While doing that, she had also decoded the rest of Itachi’s reports- all of them having the same coding pattern to them. None were secrets or anything he wasn’t supposed to share, in fact, they were all for him, Sasuke.

The very first report he wrote established that. These notes were meant for Sasuke, meant to be read by him, discovered by him.

Most were silly little notes, surely jokes between the two brothers at the time, but as Itachi’s talents grew and he started going on more and more dangerous assignments, the more solemn and even at times morbid the messages would be. They ranged anywhere from THAT CAT IN THE ALLEY LOOKED LIKE ONE I SAW HERE to the other end of the spectrum I KILLED SOMEONE AND NOW THE BLOOD CANT WASH AWAY.

Tsunade shuddered at some, laughed at others, but she share them with Sasuke regardless. They were meant for him.

They also seemed to be helping Sasuke. He would read over them, and his reactions would be the same as hers. He would laugh at some, wince at others- but they were special to him.

It wasn’t as if Sasuke couldn’t function as a normal person. He could have conversations, have opinions, likes, and dislikes, smiled every now and then. It was never a completely happy smile like Naruto had, but a small smirk here and there.

Tsunade had done multiple tests on him. From brainwaves to how he responds to certain things, putting him in different scenarios. And he reacted like any… sane person would have. The only issue being that she didn’t have anything to compare it to.

The only thing she had to defend against him was his memory.

He had lapses in it, blackouts of timeframes he didn’t know where or what he was doing. He knew he had done thing- killed those soldiers, kidnapped Ino, but he didn’t remember actually doing any of them.

The one thing that she still hadn’t done was have Sasuke be face to face with either Hinata or Naruto. While Hinata was doing better, she still couldn’t walk for very long on her leg. As much as Tsunade believed that Sasuke had been manipulated, done things without knowing or even against his will- she was in no way ready to trust him enough to come to her.

So it was Naruto.

Sasuke heard him first before ever seeing him. He was talking so oud outside the door to his cell- he always talked loud. He knew if he wanted he could know what they were talking about, but he just didn’t have the desire. Didn’t have the drive or want to do anything anymore.

He just wanted to die.

He knew what all he had done, regardless of if he really did it. He had killed two soldiers and that alone was punishment enough for death, let alone the king of their country. Even if what Tsunade was running these test to find proved true… what good would it do for him? He deserved death, he accepted it.

But when it was coming… he didn’t know.

He thought about a variety of things while locked in this cell. What his brother would think of him, what he would even look like if he were still alive. Would his parents still love him if they knew what all he had done? Does Sakura, after all he did to her?

He wouldn’t have blamed her in the slightest if she resented him, despised him. If she was there staring him down at execution, feeling justice had been done for what she went through and what he put her friends through.

What he put his own friend through.

The door opened.

Sasuke turned his head slightly, not moving from up against the wall. He didn’t even stand. He just stayed there, one leg flat on the cot suspended above the ground he was give, the other bent to support his arm.

Tsunade didn’t come in. Sasuke knew she was with him, but did she really trust him enough to be left alone with the man he had tried to kill just months ago?

No it wasn’t that. She trusted Naruto enough to kill him in an instant if he needed to. That must be it.

Sasuke kept his eyes down, not wanting to look him in the face. Naruto walked in, slowly with his steps thought out.

The room was silent for minutes before either one of them spoke.

“When are you going to do?” was all Sasuke asked. It was quiet, low, and heavy.

A beat

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Naruto lied.

“It’s like torture, you know? Sitting her each and every day… just waiting to die.” Sasuke shook his head. He knew there was no begging for forgiveness any more.

Naruto walked closer to him.

“You aren’t putting up much a fight.” Naruto commented, not thinking he would be so accepting of everything.

Sasuke chuckled.

“I know even if something was wrong with me, and even if I don’t feel any of the… the hate or vengefulness I must have felt before… I still did all those things, I still killed people, threatened lives.” Sasuke paused.

“I deserve it.”

Naruto stared at him, seeing the emotions on his face. Even if it was just the slightest hint in his eyes, the curvature of his eyebrows, the slight downward slant of his mouth, he was every bit remorseful.

It was hard for Naruto, looking at someone with that completely pitiful look on their face and not helping them. If this was a stranger then Naruto would be doing everything in his power to fix whatever situation they were in. but this wasn’t a stranger, at least not anymore.

This was Sasuke.

“You’re right, you do.” Naruto bluntly said, leaning himself against the wall opposite of Sasuke.

He was keeping his distance. Even if this was all genuine, Naruto couldn’t shake the idea that this was all an act. All just something to lure him here in an enclosed space, in private. Naruto was ready to fight him again in an instant, all he needed was for Sasuke to make the first move.

But Sasuke just smirked, finding his comment cruel humor.

“Why are you even here?” Sasuke asked him, finally turning his head directly at him.

He was taken back at the sight of him, how powerful Naruto looked just staring back at him. He looked completely comfortable just standing there, relaxed. Sasuke knew he wasn’t, but the confidence, power, and determination that he had always had in different levels growing up finally found their right balance. He looked… like who he was. The person who just stopped him, that was the ruler of a nation, someone who loved his wife, loved his son…

And hated him.

“I’m not here because I want to be. If it we’re up to me then you would have been dead two months ago for what you did.” He breathed out, looking Sasuke over.

“But I’m here because Tsunade asked me to.”  

“Why is that?” Sasuke kept his gaze on Naruto. He watched as he slowly left his position on the wall, walking closer and closer to Sasuke. Sasuke didn’t move.

He stared down at Sasuke from the two feet above him that he stood, narrowing his eyes. Then he spread his arms.

“To test you.”  Naruto breathed out, closing his eyes.

Sasuke stared at him, confusion woven on his face. What was he doing? His arms spread out to the side, his chest right on front of Sasuke he would touch it if he extended his fingers.

He was testing to see if he would do it. If he would take a shot, try to kill him again. His chest was open and exposed, he could do anything in a half a second. Sasuke could think in his head seventeen different ways to end his life just right there…

But he didn’t want to.

Naruto didn’t deserve it, he had done nothing wrong. All of his life Naruto only ever showed him kindness, wanting to be his friend. And he was testing Sasuke with a chance to kill him.

What had Sasuke done to deserve this kind of friendship?

Maybe he was just doing this because Tsunade asked him to, and maybe there was some trick up his sleeve that if Sasuke tried anything there was no way he could get hurt, he was still here. He tried so hard to convince Sasuke to stop at so many different times. He knew that something was wrong from the beginning, during their fight he spoke of how much it hurt to see him like this, so wrong and corrupted, and now here he was, doing a favor for someone that tried to take everything he had earned away from him.

Naruto waited a few seconds, waiting for something. For a movement, a sound, anything. The few seconds he stood there felt like days, just standing there.

His eyes opened slowly as he let out the breath he was holding. His tense muscles relaxed as he brought his arms down.

Their eyes were only locked for a mere second before Sasuke turned away. The painful look on his face was so visible. The regret, the remorse, the guilt- all there.

The most shocking thing was the tear that broke over Sasuke’s eye as he turned away.

Naruto gave him a moment of silence, not interrupting the small hiccups. Naruto could tell he was trying to stifle the noises, but at some point they were too much.

It was that point that something happened. Naruto didn’t think he was lying anymore, that he was faking. This man had truly accepted what he had done and expected death, he thought he deserved it. He was...

“I… I did terrible things. To you… Hinata… Sakura… and I’m sorry. For _all_ of it…” he paused

“Just kill me already.” He choked out. Naruto saw his tears hitting the thin sheet of the cot.

He sighed, walking back over to the other side of the room.

“Well, sorry. We aren’t doing that.” Naruto broke it to him. He crossed his arms, leaning his head back.

It took a moment for Sasuke to respond.

“What… what do you mean?” he asked, wiping his face on his scratched sleeve.

“I mean…” Naruto turned around. “Solitary confinement.”

Sasuke looked at him curiously.

“Two years. Solitary confinement. You’ll have limited access to anyone, and even then it will mostly be me, Tsunade, and Sakura.” He spoke, not believing he was even saying that.

“And after that, you’ll work for me… with me.” Naruto huffed, still trying to get used to the idea.

He turned around.

“If you’re good, that is.”

Sasuke could feel a pain in his chest, a heated feeling that was sharp and hurt. He wanted to grab his chest, but he couldn’t move. He was too in shock by the words that he heard. They almost sounded, in a way…

Like forgiveness.

The unimaginable. Something that Sasuke knew he would never experience, especially from Naruto.

“… I thought… you said you had no mercy for me.” Sasuke stammered out, still in shock.

Naruto smirked, shaking his head.

“I didn’t. Sakura did first. Then Tsunade, and then Hinata.” Naruto explained. “And if she could spare you…” he breathed in slow, biting his tongue to hold back his words.

”You just better be grateful to her.” he threatened.

But Sasuke didn’t care for what else he was saying, his ears tuned out after Sakura.

“…. Sakura did?” Sasuke asked, never thinking she would ever want to speak to him again.

“Of course she did! Hell the woman doesn’t spend a day not thinking about you, especially now! If she hadn’t of forgiven you that night you would have been dead a long time ago.” He explained, amazed he was confused.

This time Sasuke did grab at his chest, not knowing whether to feel relieved, grateful, or just even worse about everything.

“If she wasn’t pregnant then you probably still would have been killed…” Naruto thought back, trying to line up his events.

Sasuke stopped breathing.

What?

He looked at Naruto, staring at him with his eyes wide and eyebrows furrowed. He felt his mouth was dry, unable to come up with something to say. Instead he just kept staring.

Naruto looked to his sides, making sure there wasn’t anything he needed to be staring at as well. When he found that nothing was there, he concluded it was him that Sasuke’s eyes were locked on to.

“W-what?” Naruto stuttered, confused at his reaction.

He saw a slow gulp form Sasuke, watching him breathe out before he spoke.

“She’s… what?”

……………………………………………….

The new layout of the castle, while vastly different, was rather nice. It made much more sense now.

It didn’t forever and a day to walk from the main entrance to the audience room, or from the ball room to the dining hall. The rooms were much better lit, and the windows were lower- something Hinata specifically requested. The paint wasn’t a dull color anymore, the cracks in the stairs had been fixed, and the curtains replaced so there weren’t moth balls in some. Just overall it was much livelier. Felt more like a home.

Especially with a two month old living there.

While she wasn’t allowed to move too much, she was able to walk on her own. It made it easier for when Boruto started waking up from his naps.

She heard him start to turn, murmuring little noises to show he was awake.

Hinata slowly moved the blanket off of her and got out of their new bed. It was smaller than their original. She thought it was too big for the both of them, as most of it went untouched every night.

“I’m coming, don’t worry.” She told him quietly. She walked over slowly to him, making sure not to lose her balance. That was one of the more difficult challenges she was facing during recovery.

“You sleep well, yeah?” she asked, leaning her arms down to pick him up.

Recently he has started learning how to laugh. He always did in some form, some noises that could sound like it here, a smile that made you think you could hear him laugh there. Now he was full on laughing. Smiling, giggling, his eyes would shut just because his cheeks were too big when he smiled.

Both she and Naruto couldn’t get enough of it.

Then their door handle started to turn. Hinata paid it no mind, knowing who it was. She turned to go back towards the bed, Boruto wrapped sweetly in her arms. She saw the disturbed, almost apprehensive look on his face as he walked in quietly. She took a seat on the edge of their bed, looking over at him.

“… You okay?” she asked after giving him plenty of time to say something first.

HE just shook his head.

“I don’t even know” he replied with an exasperated sigh.

Hinata turned her head. “What happened?” She could feel Boruto start grabbing at her hair- another habit he was developing.

She moved over just a bit, letting him take the spot next to him.

“I just don’t know what to think… he just was completely different.” He started.

Boruto made an ‘aah’ sound and Hinata repeated it back to him. HE laughed at the noise she tried to imitate.

“I’m surprised you could pry Hanabi away from him.” He commented, watching as she started making faces at him.

“It wasn’t easy, I’ll tell you that.” She admitted.

Hanabi had been all over him since she returned. She would want to play with him, rock him to sleep, lay on the floor and watch him crawl around.

Naruto relaxed his back against the frame of their bed, staring up towards the ceiling.

“He wanted to die, isn’t that strange? He felt like he deserved it. He even admitted that even though he didn’t remember doing anything- he still knew it was him.” He explained. Naruto put his hand in front of Boruto’s face, distracting him from his mother’s hair.

“What did you tell him?” she questioned.

“I told him the truth. What his sentence was, what the plan was going to be after he was released, and I even let it slip about Sakura… which no one told me we were trying to keep secret.” He huffed.

“I’m sure that was a mess.” Hinata couldn’t help but laugh.

Naruto raised his eyebrows, breathing in.

“Well I didn’t stick around too much after that.” He admitted.

Boruto grabbed his finger, deciding it was going in his small mouth. Naruto laughs at him, taking him from Hinata’s arms. He laid down on his back completely, letting Boruto lay on his stomach.

“You shouldn’t eat people’s fingers, Boruto. They don’t like it.” he told his son honestly. Knowing tomorrow he would have to say the same thing.

Hinata smiled at the two boys lying next to her before getting back to the matter at hand.

“So… do you think he was, you know, being controlled?” Hinata asked him bluntly.

The own smile on his face faded as he watched Boruto start trying to crawl towards him.

“Yeah, I think I do.” He answered honestly.

The attitude change Sasuke had, going from someone who would manipulate and murder for his own personal gain to someone who wished himself dead because he knew it would bring peace to others was so drastic. Not to mention the complete lack of hatred towards him, Hinata, anyone.

While broken and emotionally hurt, this was the same Sasuke he knew from years ago.

He turned his head to face her, to say something else.

“He’s just com-“

Boruto gave his cheek a slap.

He turned his head back towards Boruto, hearing Hinata laugh.

“I’m sorry.” He joked with him, watching his small face beam with laughter. He always laughed when other did.

Hinata watched as Boruto kept putting his small hands all over his father’s face. He used them to push his cheeks back, try to grab his nose, pull his hair, and Naruto just took it. He kept saying he was going to be stronger than him if he kept it up.

It was nice, with everything so peaceful again. A new home, a growing family, support from other nations after everything transpired. Shikamaru and Tsunade had been working so hard to give them just time to each other, letting them fully re-cooperate and relax together as a small family.

Naruto snuck a glance at her while Boruto poked at his teeth.

“Wha?” he mumbled, trying to avoid the fingers near his mouth.

She shook her head, giving him a smile.

“Oh, nothing, it’s nothing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SoooOOOOooOOOoorry this took a while.  
> I kept on thinking like “I have to finish it today!” and then everything else happened that needed my attention and it just kept happening and happening and happening and I’ve been working on this other project and this keeps getting pushed to the back burner because of that BUT   
> Next chapter is our lovely epilogue of beauty.


	52. Chapter 52

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve noticed something in my writing. Whatever character I’m writing in the scene, whatever one I’m narrating for I write how they think. Like, with Boruto I noticed that I don’t use complicated words and I over-exaggerate and on things he doesn’t know, I, as the writer, don’t know that either.   
> Is that weird? I have no idea.   
> Anyway, there’s the gushy thank you notes at the end of the chapter, so with that being said, enjoy the Last Chapter!

It had been snowing nonstop the entire day.

At first it started with just a small dusting- the first snow of the year- and then it just kept coming. For most of the day he got to play in it, making the biggest snowman he could, one even as big as him! The snow angels were quickly covered back up with snow, and the fort he built to protect him from the snowballs that his best friend kept throwing at him was surely buried by now.

He wondered if the whole castle was going to get buried.

Would Dad find his way home still if home was covered in snow? What if he couldn’t find them until spring? He would have to protect Mom and the baby himself until Dad could get back inside.

It was a tough job for a two year old, but he would do it.

Boruto turned to his back in his bed, wondering if Mom was okay right now. He didn’t know how late it was, but it was past his bedtime. He had slept a whole lot after Mom tucked him in. He had a full day of playing with Sarada in the snow.

But now he just couldn’t go back to sleep.

The wind was howling outside, causing a whistling through one of the windows in his room. He typically didn’t mind when the wind did it, it reminded him of when his Mom would sing to him on a rare occasion. But this was much harsher than normal, nothing warm and happy about it. Not like Mom at all.

He stuck his hand outside of his warm blanket, feeling how cold the air was. It wasn’t too bad, but it definitely felt nicer under the blanket.

“Wonder if Mom’s cold too…” he mumbled, holding his hand up.

He decided to go check.

The hallways always were bigger at night, but Boruto could never figure out why. The ceilings were taller, the hall itself was wider and longer than when Mom or Dad would walk him anywhere. Maybe it was because they were with him that it didn’t feel so big. Or perhaps that the lights weren’t dimmed so much you could barely see during the day. Maybe that was it.

Boruto was glad that he didn’t have to walk very far to Mom and Dad’s room.

He reached his hands up as high, getting the best grip on the handle that he could. Only recently had he been tall enough to grab them on his own.

He carefully opened the door, trying not to make a sound. He saw Mom sitting up in bed, reading with the table lamp on next to her. Her short hair was tucked neatly behind her ear, her eyes focused on what she was reading in front of her.

 _‘She hasn’t seen me yet.’_ He thought

Little did he know, of course she saw him.

He closed the door softly behind him, tip-toeing his very quietest over to the bed, pausing every time she flipped a page. He wished he had put on his socks, or maybe even his lion slippers before leaving his room. The floor was cold and the walk to the bed from the door was at least as long as… well, it was just long.

Slowly he made it to the rug that poked out from under their bed, relieved for the warm feeling under his feet. He might have sighed a bit too loud, since he saw Mom raise an eyebrow. He froze completely, waiting for almost an entire minute before her expression changed back to normal.

He took the last few steps extra careful, pausing before he spoke.

“… Mom?” he asked quietly.

Hinata put her book to the side, looking around the room in confusion.

“Now where did that come from?” she asked, expecting an answer.

Boruto laughed before repeating himself.

“Moooom!” he said again, this time more confident.

Hinata turned her head down towards him, smiling.

“Ah! How did you get there?” she asked, turning her body more towards him.

He giggled. “I snuck in and you didn’ even see me.’

She nodded at him.

“You’re right, I completely didn’t.” she lied. “But I have to ask, what are you doing out of bed?”

Boruto’s expression changed from smiles to shy all in a few seconds. He put his hands behind his back, looking down at the floor.

“Well, I was wondrin’ if you were cold… or the baby… so I came to check.” He told her honestly.

She raised her eyebrows with her “o”

“Well, the baby isn’t very cold.” She told him confidently, putting a hand on her rather rounded stomach. “But... I think Mom could use some extra warmth.”

His face changes back to smiles as he ran/bounced to the other side of the bed. He climbs up, crawling over next to her arm. She has the blanket already pulled away from her, letting him slide in.

She turns over to the lamp, turning it off for the night. She makes note of what time it is, 10:30, before turning back over to her son.

“You know, Dad’s going to be home in a few hours.” She tells him, letting him snuggle against her side.

She sees him pout slightly.

“What if we get buried in snow? Think Dad’ll still find us?” he voiced his concerns.

Hinata couldn’t help but laugh lightly at his worry.

“Don’t you worry, your Dad promised he’d come home tonight, right?” she asked.

Boruto nodded his head.

“Then he’ll come home tonight.” She told him confidently.

Boruto smiled at her answer, knowing dad doesn’t break his promises.

But then his face turned sour again, much to his mother’s confusion.

“You think… he’ll be mad that I’m sleeping in his spot?” Boruto asked.

Hinata thought for a minute before giving her response.

“If he is, he can just sleep in your bed.” She joked, knowing he wouldn’t be. But still, it was enough to get a smile out of her son. She loved those.

“I love you, Mom.” Boruto softly said, rubbing his head against her arm.

“I love you too.” She sweetly replied.

………………..

It was early in the morning before Naruto got back in. Maybe around 2:30. By the time he returned his horse, filled out a report on what happened, ate something- he was too tired to remember what he even grabbed- and worked his way up to their bedroom, almost an hour more had passed.

But he still opened the door slowly, making sure not to wake Hinata if she was asleep. He closed the door softly, walking cautiously over to the wardrobe to change his clothes. They were completely damp from the melted snow, making him colder than he wanted to be.

He had finally gotten another pair of sweatpants, confident that Hinata wasn’t going to steal them this time- she hated the color. He quickly put those on, digging a bit more to find a plain white shirt. Immediately he felt better in dry clothes.

He slowly made his way over to the bed, lifting the blanket before climbing in.

He was glad that he looked more carefully before just laying down and wrapping his arms around his wife. He might not have noticed the little boy lying next to her… where he wanted to be. He put his knee in the bed, deciding he was just going to lay next to his son instead. After all, the two of them looked too cute together for him to want to move apart.

If Hinata hadn’t of woken up, he would have just stayed there the entire night.

 “Welcome back…” she mumbled sweetly at him, turning the best she could.

“Is this what I miss every time I’m gone?” he asked, gesturing to her and Boruto.

She smiled at him.

“How was…” she yawned. “Your thing?” she asked quietly. He knew she wasn’t completely conscious.

He laughed at her mid-sentence yawn- very quietly.

“The meeting was fine, nothing too important came up, but nothing bad either.” He explained.

“And Sasuke?” she asked.

This was Sasuke’s first lone assignment with Naruto. They had been on three others before that, but they had others with them. This time it was just the two of them. While it started out strange and awkward- neither not knowing what to say to each other, in the end they were having conversations. Naruto would talk about really anything that would come to mind like he normally would, and Sasuke would simply comment on them, but it was a start.

He had proven himself to be an asset though. He could hear so far away and was incredible at not being seen. The speed at which assignments could be completed nearly tripled just from him alone. He never questioned anything, he never talked back, and he just nodded and accepted what he was asked to do. They found it rather strange at first, him just accepting what they told him to do, especially considering what happened to Sasuke.

Tsunade was the one that answered that for them.

He trusted Naruto.

Someone that put so much of his reputation and even life on the line for him, someone who gave him a chance again even though he had absolutely no reason to, he trusted that.

Naruto sighed contently.

“He was just fine.” He answered honestly.

He carefully scooped Boruto into his arms, maneuvering him to the other side of the bed.

He mumbled. “Dad really… came home…”

Naruto placed him gently against the bed, making sure he had a pillow under his small head and plenty of blanket.

“Of course I did.” He whispered.

He saw Boruto smile as he took to his new spot nicely.

The thought crossed his mind as to why they didn’t do this every night.

“Have you slept at all yet?” Hinata yawned again, moving her body closer to his. For someone who was just outside in the cold for hours he was already so warm.

He let out his own yawn, relaxing into the bed.

“Not yet…”

Naruto put his arm out and like instinct Hinata moved her body into his own, her head resting on his shoulder.

“Then maybe you should…” she mumbled, drifting further back to sleep. This spot was by far the most comfy she knew of, and sleep always accompanied it.

He smiled at her drowsy state.

“Well then…” he started, leaning his head closer to hers. He placed his lips gently on her forehead, feeling how warm she was.

“Goodnight”

She smiled at his kiss, but leaned her head up to meet his lips before he drew them away. It had been almost a week since she had seen him last, and she wanted a proper kiss goodnight. They held each other together, keeping the distance between them nonexistent.

They pulled away slow, keeping themselves close to each other.

“Goodnight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot believe I wrote something… this long.   
> If I had the time and drive to go back through and make like a, a remastered version then I would. There’s a lot of things that didn’t develop quite like I wanted, there was a lot of things that I wished I developed more. I would add, remove, and replace a lot of different, small things. The longer we continued the more I branched off from what the characters would have done canonically, and what I would imagine the characters I developed doing. I would have developed more characters, given more time to specific scenes- that kind of thing. I know the story isn’t near perfect, but I’ve been working on it what feels nonstop since October. And here we are, 51 chapters and just about a full 4 months later. That’s just… insane. I mean this story is just shy of 200,000 words! It never felt like I was ever writing that much, I just was writing what I was feeling.   
> I’m glad you all were along for the ride and while I probably won’t write too much in the near future since I have a few other projects I’m wanting to work on, surely this isn’t the last thing I do.  
> So, for all of you who have been reading since day one, wow, thank you, you don’t know how much I appreciate each and every one of you. If you came here somewhere in the middle, then I’m glad the story kept you coming back for more. That you saw there was more chapters and just kept going.   
> If you reading this years from now after all of this is done then I am so so so glad you took the time to read through all 52 chapters. I hope you got something out of it, that you felt the emotions that I tried to portray, and I hope you truly enjoyed it.   
> And as always, please favorite, follow, comment, review, give kudos, whatever you want to do. Thank you all so much. – Ellen


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